By Gary Meyer

Two new pot fields have been found on Los Padres National Forest lands and arrests have been made in the area for possession of marijuana and illegal weapons.

On Friday, Sept. 4 a marijuana grow field was discovered near Cerro Noroeste Road west of Mount Pinos, according to a Kern County Sheriff’s Department news release.

A helicopter transported officers into the rough terrain. No suspects were located during that operation, but officers located a campsite within the grow area containing materials used to maintain the marijuana, according to the release.

On the same day, three men were arrested when Lockwood Valley Deputies Clark and Hollowell stopped a car for vehicle code violations, according to a Ventura County Sheriff’s Department statement.

Gabino Osornio-Ambriz, 29, Nahum Huerta Gomez, 22 and Daniel Huerta Gomez, 19 were arrested when the deputies found 1.5 pounds of marijuana and a 9mm handgun in their vehicle. The investigation subsequently revealed that the marijuana had been grown in a large field in Ventura County’s back country and that the suspects were armed to protect the illegal cultivations, according to the statement.

Another marijuana field, originally discovered August 18, was raided Wednesday morning, Sept. 9 at 7 a.m. by numerous law enforcement agencies which assembled at the Mil Potrero Y, then were carried by helicopter about 3.5 miles north of Cuddy Valley.

This is part of the September 11, 2009 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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