Deputies raid pot garden west of Windsor

On the eve of the region’s annual marijuana harvest, Sonoma County sheriff’s deputies on Tuesday raided a remote pot garden west of Windsor and hauled out bundles of freshly cut, mature plants.

A helicopter ferried deputies to the garden, located in a steep, wooded area off Sweetwater Springs Road, not far from where neighbors said authorities have discovered illicit growing operations in years past.

The helicopter took out at least six loads, said Brice Austin, who watched from his 170-acre orchard nearby. The pot was flown a short distance and loaded onto an open trailer parked in a field off Westside Road, across the street from Hop Kiln Winery. Wind from the copter stirred a skunky marijuana smell into the air.

“They seemed to be on top of it,” said Austin as he stood beside his ATV within view of the garden about 6 miles off Westside Road. “They don’t mess around.”

Sgt. Steve Gossett, who supervises narcotics investigations, would not comment on the raid Tuesday or say if anyone was arrested. He referred questions to sheriff’s spokeswoman Cecile Focha, who did not return calls.

Last year, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force eradicated nearly 42,800 marijuana plants, down from 49,150 plants in 2012 and 96,925 plants in 2011. The task force eradicated more than 311,000 plants during the 2010 harvest season, according to a report earlier this year to the Board of Supervisors.

Meanwhile, neighbors expressed concern about any potential cleanup that might be needed from Tuesday’s raid. Previous growers left behind trash and disturbed tiny creeks, creating environmental damage, Austin said.

In 2011, he said, deputies pulled up 1,944 plants someone was growing on his land. They abandoned food, clothes and ammunition that had to be discarded, Austin said. No one was ever caught, he said.

“They hear you coming and take off,” said Austin, who has assisted deputies in the past. “That’s what happens all the time. It’s why you can’t catch them.”

Austin’s cousin, Carol Vellutini, criticized deputies’ approach, which she called “pull and go.” Narcotics agents only seem to be interested in eradication and never arrest anyone, she said.

Vellutini, who has 300 acres in the area, has in the past marched into the woods with armed friends to try to root out the growers. She expressed frustration about a problem she said has persisted for 20 years.

“They knew that grow was there,” Vellutini said. “They’ve been observing it. Why can’t they sneak up and arrest the people doing this?”

Austin also said deputies appear to have been monitoring the most recent location for some time. A helicopter flew over it about three months ago and returned Monday afternoon, Austin said.

Early Tuesday, the helicopter came back, he said, dropping off at least two men before returning to pick up loads in a large net suspended from ropes.

Mild climate and access to water make the area not far from the Russian River a popular spot, he said.

“This is ideal country for growing,” Austin said.

Other neighbors took to decks and driveways to watch the aerial display. One man, who declined to give his name, said he’s seen it many times before. “It’s no big deal,” he said.

He said he had house guests from Colorado, where recreational marijuana is legal, who wondered about the cost of such a raid.

His guest “was just laughing,” said the man, who stopped along the road in his Tesla. “It’s just a completely different mentality.”

You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 568-5312 or paul.payne@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter ?@ppayne.