€148m marijuana garden found in California

A massive marijuana garden – 61,000 plants worth nearly £100m (€148m) – was discovered in a remote area in Southern California.

Three Mexicans were arrested and plants up to eight feet tall were uprooted after authorities found the garden near the border of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, Sgt Erik Raney said.

Santa Barbara County deputies flying a routine patrol by helicopter discovered the marijuana farm on July 6 and deputies, along with San Luis Obispo County authorities, moved in for the bust, the sergeant said.

On July 8, three illegal immigrants were arrested, including two who had previously been deported and may face additional felony charges for illegal re-entry into the US.

“The plants were located in nine separate grows within a short distance of the riverbed,” Raney said.

“Water from the river was used in an elaborate system of gravity-fed irrigation.”