Federal and local drug agents busted two ranch homes in the foothills of Madera County.
Drug agents ripped out 2,000 marijuana plants and found weapons/
Local law enforcement spotted the plants during a flyover and federal agents served search warrents and moved in.
Madera County Sheriff's Department, Madera Narcotic Team, and Drug Enforcement Agency served federal search warrents at two ranch homes. At each home, they detained six fresno men of South Asian descent; three were arrested, accused of growing medical marijuana worth millions of dollars.
Madera County Sheriff John Anderson says growers posted medical marijuana doctor recommendation letters, but any pot grows are illegal under federal law. "Probably about every fifty feet or so there was a sign indicating they were permitted 99 plants. However, federal law trumps that. They're not permitted any plants under federal law," said Sheriff Anderson.
The recommendation letters we issued by local doctors, but they are not in any trouble.
Local law enforcemnt visited both homes a few times in the last three years, but are just now going after growers as part of Operation Mercury, raiding pot farms up and down Central California.
