Agents from the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Drug Enforcement Administration, joined by Modoc County sheriff’s deputies, raided marijuana grows on the lands of two federally recognized tribes near Alturas on 8 July 2015.[1][2] They seized at least 12,000 plants and more than 100 pounds (about 45 kg) of processed marijuana.[1][2] One site was an indoor grow inside the Alturas Indian Rancheria’s former event center near the Desert Rose Casino; the other was the Pit River Tribe’s XL Ranch beside Highway 395 along the Pit River, with 40 newly built greenhouses each able to hold about 1,000 plants.[1]
A joint agency statement said both operations appeared to be run together, far exceeded county cultivation limits, and were meant to distribute marijuana off tribal lands at unidentified locations, possibly financed by an unidentified foreign third party.[1] Federal investigators feared large quantities were destined for distribution elsewhere.[2]
Pit River chairman Mickey Gemmill Jr. said his tribe was not affiliated with the Alturas Rancheria and called the raid a serious assault on self-governance, saying officers destroyed a patient cooperative’s plants, seized confidential records, and injured and arrested some tribal members.[1] The tribe said nearly 50 officers took part.[1]
