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Monterey County Officials Find, Destroy 5,000 Marijuana Plants

SAN ARDO (CBS SF) -- The Monterey County Sheriff's Office on Friday found a marijuana garden containing more than 5,000 plants near the Salinas River south of the community of San Ardo.

The sheriff's office said that the marijuana garden consisted of three separate grow sites in the Salinas riverbed.

Deputies reported hearing a suspect or suspects fleeing through dense vegetation as they came upon the site, according to the sheriff's office.

The suspects were not found, the sheriff's office said.

Deputies found a loaded .30-caliber rifle in a search of the area.

Approximately 5,020 marijuana plants were seized and destroyed,
according to the sheriff's office.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed)

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