Colorado pot growing farms have been mom-and-pop operations. But no more. In a sign that international drug cartels are moving into the state, authorities have seized nearly 20,000 marijuana plants from national forest lands in the state this summer, reports Kirk Mitchell of the Denver Post.
"The bigger farms found this year indicate that well-funded drug cartels have discovered the Rocky Mountains," said Michael Skinner, assistant agent in charge of the U.S. Forest Service's Rocky Mountain Region.
He's worried about hiker safety, and about pollutants used to grow the marijuana in mountain streams.
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Gary "Chris" Twombley was put on administrative leave in December 2023
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