Local and state drug enforcement officials seized an illegal marijuana site east of Fiddletown on Aug. 21.

Photo by: Courtesy to the Ledger Dispatch

Local law enforcement announced the seizure of thousands of illicit marijuana plants in a raid that took place Aug. 21.

The Amador County Combined Narcotic Enforcement Team led the operation, which was assisted by Special Weapons and Tactics teams from Amador and El Dorado counties and state drug enforcement officials.

The commercial marijuana cultivation site was located in a remote area of the county, north of Dry Creek Drainage east of Fiddletown. The narcotic task force had identified the cultivation site while conducting reconnaissance in that area. With signs that it was being tended by a Mexican national drug trafficking organization, as well as reports by a nearby neighbor of gunfire originating from the canyon, the Amador and El Dorado SWAT teams were brought it to secure the site.

An expectation of armed cultivators was relieved when more than two dozen operatives found a camp site but no suspects. The camp site showed signs of recent activity, according to task force commander Jackie Long.

Investigators, including those with the California Department of Justice's Campaign Against Marijuana Planting Team 5, did find 5,729 marijuana plants on seven separate but interconnected plots. The plants can range in value from $500 to $2,000 depending on size and material. This is the third commercial marijuana cultivation site the task force has seized this year with ties to organized Mexican national traffickers. Investigators determined that by the items found and the growing tactics, according to Long, but he declined to get specific. The investigation is still underway, he said.