Warden Wire: Wardens assist in federal takedown of illegal marijuana grow in nat'l forest

The conservation wardens of the Wis. Department of Natural Resources' Bureau of Law Enforcement were among the roughly 200 federal, state, tribal and local officers who assisted in the federal raid of an illegal marijuana grow in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in Oconto County. The criminal complaint filed with the U.S. District Court - Eastern District shows the case began from a citizen tip to a Wisconsin conservation warden. The case was announced today at a news conference in Oconto.

“Wisconsin is part of a growing and disturbing national trend,” Wisconsin DNR Chief Conservation Warden Randy Stark says. “In recent years, state, federal and local authorities have dealt with carefully hidden and highly sophisticated marijuana grow operations that have disrupted the landscape in many ways and left a pricey mess to clean.” Stark says the drug areas have grown along with the threat of potential danger to the public as grow workers often are armed to protect what is a valuable commodity on the drug market. “This is why we all have to work together – the public and the authorities – to watch for these operations and to spread the word that this type of illegal and damaging grows on the public’s land will not be tolerated.”

Read Fox 11's story about the news conference and read the criminal complaint:
http://www.fox11online.com/dpp/news/local/north_counties/officials-announce-large-scale-marijuana-bust-in-chequamegon-nicolet-national-forest-aug-29-2012
http://media2.fox11online.com/pdfs/Oconto-Co-Marijuana-Grow-Complaint-8-29-12.pdf