Huge Marijuana Farm Found in Cleveland National Forest

Tipped off by an anonymous caller, authorities Thursday uncovered the biggest marijuana farm ever found in Orange County, hidden deep in the sharp mountain ridges and desolate canyons of Cleveland National Forest.

More than a dozen sheriff’s deputies hiked three hours through thick stands of cactus and live oak before discovering about 2,000 fully grown marijuana plants in a rugged area near the Orange County-Riverside County line.

The plants, some hidden beneath trees, were watered by a sophisticated irrigation system of plastic pipes and hoses. Officials said they were still trying to figure out how the operation worked, but they said the pipes appeared to draw water from a nearby well. Detectives said they believe that the farm was about 6 months old.

Deputies leveled the plants with axes and chain saws Thursday afternoon. Investigators are trying to determine who grew it.

Sheriff’s Department spokesman Jim Amormino estimated the value of the marijuana at more than $3 million. The haul is so large it will take two days to remove the plants from the canyon by helicopter.

“Whoever did this knew exactly what they were doing,” an undercover narcotics deputy said. “This is not cheap stuff, and there’s a lot of it. We don’t make these kinds of finds very often.”

Though authorities were shocked by the size of the farm, residents of the eclectic back country were less impressed. In a mountainous region that attracts its share of millionaires, love-generation refugees, hermits, artists and bikers, fields of marijuana plants come with the territory, they said.

“Am I surprised? No way,” said Chathi Anderson, a customer at Cook’s Corner, the canyon’s famed roadhouse about 10 miles from the farm. “I don’t think people look at it as a crime. I’m sure there were people who hiked up through there and saw it and didn’t get concerned.”

Bartender Rhonda Palmeri added: “This is a place where you get real different walks of life, all different types of people. You get everything from preppies to cowboys to hippies.”

Deputies found the farm several miles from the end of Trabuco Creek Road, a rough dirt track that features a handful of shacks and trailers, as well as a tiny airstrip for remote-controlled model airplanes.

Deputies prepared to begin piling the plants into a large net so they could be flown to the airstrip, where they would be trucked away and burned.

Though other parts of the state have reported much larger marijuana hauls, local officials said this was the biggest ever found in Orange County. Earlier this year, a 6,000-plant farm was discovered in Angeles National Forest. An even larger one was uncovered recently in San Diego County.

Back at Cook’s Corner, customers had their own ideas about who made the anonymous call alerting authorities.

“The deal went bad; somebody got somebody else mad,” said Kristy Yovin.