Motorcycle Gangs and Marijuana

[Pangloss62]

Annual Sturgis Motorcycle RallyBy Jackie Henman, Regional Law Enforcement Specialist
August 11, 2006

Midwest Region and parks in South Dakota – Mount Rushmore, Jewel Cave, Wind Cave and Badlands – are gearing up for impacts from the 66th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which takes place this week in Sturgis, South Dakota. Concerns have already been raised about potential violence. On the afternoon of August 8th, a drive-by shooting occurred in Custer State Park, which is located within a few miles of both Mount Rushmore and Wind Cave. About a dozen members of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club and their associates were in a parking lot at the Legion Lake Resort when two men in a pickup truck drove by and began firing a weapon. Five shooting victims and another victim with a separate injury were transported to area hospitals – three of them remain hospitalized. All victims were affiliated with the Outlaws. The two shooting suspects, one of whom was associated with the Hell’s Angels Motorcycle Club, were apprehended without incident later that evening. During the rally, motorcyclists, including various motorcycle gangs, converge on the Black Hills of South Dakota and frequent area parks. In anticipation of potential violence, the Midwest Region special event team, a special agent, and other personnel were positioned in advance at Mount Rushmore and other NPS areas. They remain on high alert and will maintain high visibility to discourage further violence and to increase public safety at NPS sites for the remainder of rally week.

Confrontation With Outlaw Motorcycle Gang
By Hugh Dougher, Chief Ranger, Midwest Region; Mike Pflaum, Chief Ranger, Mount Rushmore NM
August 14, 2006

On Thursday, August 10th, between 80 and 100 members of the Outlaws, an outlaw motorcycle gang attending the nearby Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, purposefully committed a number of traffic violations while riding as a pack through the park. The manner in which the ride was conducted suggested an intent to display power, as it occurred only two days after five members of their gang were shot in nearby Custer State Park by two members of the rival Hells Angels (see last Friday’s edition or click on “More Information” below). Park and Midwest Region special event team rangers identified the group’s chase vehicle, separated it from the pack, then conducted a high-risk vehicle stop. The rangers demonstrated both tactical and force superiority and exercised situational control throughout the stop. The vehicle was occupied by four members of the Outlaws. They were identified and interviewed and the driver was cited. They were told to pass along to their leadership that national parks are owned by the public – not motorcycle gangs – and that disrespect, such as violating traffic laws, would not be tolerated. Later that same evening, another group of approximately 30 Outlaws passed through the park. They obeyed all traffic laws.

Over 12,000 Marijuana Plants Seized From Three Plantations
By Jeff Sullivan, Supervisory Special Agent
August 14, 2006

On August 9th and 10th, the park’s special response team and special agents assigned to Yosemite assisted officers from the Forest Service, the Mariposa County Sheriff's Office, the Bureau of Land Management, and an eradication team from CAMP (Campaign Against Marijuana Production, part of the California Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement) in the investigation and eradication of three marijuana plantations in the Merced River Canyon on the western boundary of the park. The gardens had been spotted by NPS agents and sheriff's deputies while conducting reconnaissance flights with the California National Guard in July of this year. The two raids netted 12,451 marijuana plants, with an estimated street value of approximately $35,720,000. Two of the gardens had suspects in them, but they were able to elude apprehension. Two firearms were seized in the gardens and evidence collected will be valuable in curtailing international marijuana cultivation on public lands.

I hate it when good marijuana just goes to waste like that.
That raid was the fourth in less than a month, all in our National Parks. But one incident report included an interesting notation:

"There were different varieties of marijuana plants, including several strains that appear to have been genetically altered. These new plants have only three leaves, and take less time to mature, allowing growers a chance to plant more than one crop in a season. In addition, the plants are shorter (less than three feet) which makes detection more difficult."