2nd day of pot seizures in Sonoma County

Sonoma County law enforcement officials had a busy two days seizing weapons and pot plants from properties in and around Santa Rosa, as well as from marijuana gardens in the rugged hills west of Windsor.

On Wednesday morning, sheriff’s deputies targeted three neighboring homes on Mountain View Avenue, east of Santa Rosa Avenue in south Santa Rosa. They took 90 plants ranging from 4 to 8 feet tall from a barn and an outdoor garden, authorities said.

Deputies also seized two assault rifles, a handgun and a 12-gauge shotgun during searches of the area, in addition to $8,000 in cash and $17,000 in cashier’s checks, sheriff’s Lt. Steve Brown said.

Four people were arrested on suspicion of marijuana cultivation, possession for sale, operating a house for drug sales and conspiracy. Taken into custody were Pedro Gomez Perez, 55; Juan Silva, 25; Margarita Soto, 60; and Juan Chavez, 35.

On Tuesday, narcotics agents seized 3,645 marijuana plants from as many as six different gardens in remote locations within a 2-mile radius of each other off Sweetwater Springs Road near Westside Road, sheriff’s Sgt. Steve Gossett said Wednesday.

Deputies identified illicit gardens beforehand and called for help from a statewide eradication task force that brought in officers and a helicopter, Gossett said.

On Tuesday, agents flew in, cut down plants and hauled them off for destruction. All were flowering and ranged in height from 4 to 10 feet, Gossett said.

“They were still a few weeks away from being ready for harvest,” he said.

No one was arrested.

Gossett said the growers appeared to be trespassing on private land and were gone when agents arrived. However, he wouldn’t rule out the possibility that property owners maintained the sites or paid someone to do it.

“Did I see any evidence of a cartel? No.” Gossett said. “Is it possible? Absolutely. Is it possible a property owner hired people? Absolutely.”

All the gardens caused some form of property damage, either through abandoned trash or diverted springs and streams, Gossett said.

None of the gardens bore medical marijuana paperwork, he said.

Agents seized a .22-caliber rifle and a shotgun from one garden, he said.

“We attempt to sneak in but because of the terrain, it makes it difficult to go undetected,” he said. “Some of the camps are positioned away from grow locations so they can make a quick escape.”

The seizures come near the end of Sonoma County’s outdoor marijuana growing season, which runs from April until about November or the first freeze.

Plants - whether in rural gardens or suburban backyards - are approaching maturity, making them easier to be seen and smelled by neighbors, police and thieves.

Law enforcement agencies are receiving multiple complaints daily from people concerned about drug trafficking, Gossett said.

“We get complaints (of growing operations) every single day - multiple complaints - and we have complaints and or confirmed locations that would keep us busy through the rest of the season,” he said.

He said complaints about marijuana gardens typically are generated by people concerned about everything from the smell to the potential for violence, which frequently erupts from marijuana thefts and sales that go bad.

Santa Rosa alone has had three shootings linked to marijuana since Aug. 31, including a homicide, police said.

Deputies are responding to calls as part of a seasonal effort, Gossett said

For far-flung gardens, local authorities are getting assistance from a statewide eradication task force that provides a helicopter, he said.

The group has been to the Sweetwater Springs Road area about six times this growing season, Gossett said.

You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 568-5312 or paul.payne@pressdemocrat.com, and Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com.

EDITOR’S NOTE: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Mountain View Avenue in south Santa Rosa as Mountain View Road. The story has been updated to correct the error.