[Sativa]

SANTA YNEZ, Calif.—A rancher hunting for coyotes on his property confronted eight men carrying duffel bags stuffed with marijuana.

The rifle-toting rancher, whose name was withheld, ordered the group of Hispanic men to stop, but they dropped the bags and ran, said Sgt. Erik Raney of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department.

"The suspects were wearing camouflage clothing and carrying military style duffel bags," the sergeant said. "He assumed they were poachers, and ordered them to stop. The rancher checked one of the bags and observed that it was full of marijuana."

The pot was apparently cultivated in a remote area nearby.

The rancher notified the Sheriff's Department but a search failed to find the men. Three duffel bags contained about 100 pounds of marijuana.

The find comes days after the Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo county authorities discovered a marijuana garden with an estimated $200 million worth of pot along Highway 166.


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Source: San Jose Mercury News
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Copyright: 2007 San Jose Mercury News
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