Tornado Alley (PROG)

[mr40]

Anyone have any comments about the possibility of the Napa fires being started by illegals to destroy the marijuana crops growing in the area?

Officials Believe Mexican Illegals Behind Massive California Fires

The recent wildfires in California have caused widespread destruction and even death as they rage across many regions of the state. That situation would be dire under any circumstances, but now new information may make the fires even more shocking.

There is a strong possibility that the wildfires were set deliberately, and may be linked to drug cartels operating north of the border.

The investigative news site GotNews recently dug into the situation, and pointed out some very disturbing facts. As their report pointed out, California’s wildfires typically occur in December and January, yet the October series of fires has been among the largest and most destructive to date.

Experts quickly noticed something interesting: The fires have dramatically impacted the state’s burgeoning legal marijuana industry… and that could be the work of powerful Mexican drug syndicates.

“Law enforcement authorities – including senior Department of Homeland Security officials – and key people within the legal marijuana business quickly noticed that the areas hit hardest by the fires are the same places that California’s marijuana industry legally grows cannabis, and are now starting to suspect foul play,” explained GotNews.

“The suspicious timing and sheer destruction of the fires has led them to believe the Mexican drug cartels – infamous for their ruthless tactics – had a hand in starting them,” the independent news site continued.

“These cartels, which run a large share of the world’s multi-billion dollar illegal drug trade, certainly have the means to pull off an attack like this.”

That news source did not specifically name the officials who are considering this possibility, but the facts do make the scenario very likely.

Both the New York Times and NBC News have pointed out that recreational marijuana grow operations — which are legal under California law — have all but been destroyed by the flames.

On top of destruction to the actual plants, a significant amount of cash has also gone up in smoke, and the legal grey area of marijuana at the federal level means that almost nothing is insured.

“Many of the region’s farms, including those that harvest cannabis, have been scorched, including those in Sonoma County and in Mendocino County, the center of California’s marijuana industry,”

reported the Times.

“Mendocino is one of three California counties that comprise Emerald Triangle, where much of the United States’ marijuana is produced,” the newspaper continued.

In other words, if the powerful Mexican cartels wanted to strike their new, legal competitors and remove them from the market, that area would be exactly where to do it.

“This couldn’t hit at a worse time because a lot of these property owners have just spent a lot of money going through the licensing process… trying to get compliant before the first of the year,” Robert Frichtel, CEO of General Cannabis Corporation, explained to NBC.

“They probably have invested with the expectation that this crop would help recoup a lot of those expenses,” he continued.

Now, much of that crop is gone… and the playing field is completely slanted back toward illegal drug syndicates in Mexico.

Marijuana legalization is, of course, a controversial issue, and there are no doubt some conservatives who have no problem seeing drug crops go up in flames.

However, it’s worth remembering that the state and its residents made this product legal, and one of the great parts of America’s separation of powers is that states can try different things free from endless federal mandates.

Many of the people who invested in the marijuana industry were entrepreneurs and small businessmen trying to deliver a product where there is an undeniable demand. The simple fact is that families have now lost their livelihoods and life savings because of these suspicious fires.

If the evidence continues to point to sabotage by illegal drug cartels, the state and the entire country have a very good example of why border security and law enforcement is so important.

Cartels do not stop at one product, but diversify and expand until their criminal fingers are in nearly every profitable industry. The American dream depends on a level playing field — and until the violent and illegal activity is stopped, hardworking citizens are the ones who will be hurt.

https://conservativetribune.com/mexican-illegals-california-fires/



ICE Detainer Issued for Suspected Wine Country Arsonist in Sonoma Jail

The U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) issued a detainer request on the Sonoma County Jail for Jesus Fabian Gonzalez, who was arrested Sunday on suspicion of arson in Wine Country fires that have killed at least 40 residents.
Breitbart News reported earlier this week that Sonoma County Sheriffs had arrested Jesus Fabian Gonzalez, 29, at Maxwell Regional Park in Sonoma County after a series of reports of ongoing fires in the region. Mr. Gonzalez was observed around 3:00 p.m. PDT wearing a jacket and walking “out of the creek area and a plume of smoke behind him,” according to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.

Mr. Gonzalez, who is homeless and reportedly known by law enforcement to have been living under a nearby bridge, claimed he was cold and had lit the fire to stay warm. But it was a balmy 78 degrees when he and the plume of smoke were first observed.

Mr. Gonzalez was booked into the Sonoma County Jail for suspicion of felony arson. His bail was set at a steep $110,000, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff Public Information Officer.

Sargent Spencer Crum told Breitbart that Mr. Gonzalez is also on a U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) detainer request, despite Sonoma County declaring itself as a “sanctuary county” in May 2014. The county only cooperates with “ICE holds” if the prisoner has been convicted of a felony or any misdemeanor offence that falls within the Trust Act within the last five years. Mr. Gonzalez’s immigration status has not yet been announced.

The American Civil Liberties Union argues detainers are a violation of “unreasonable searches and seizures” under the U.S. Constitution’s Fourth Amendment.

The Sonoma County Sheriff Department’s “1.0 Policy Statement” reads: “No person shall be held solely on the basis of their immigration status.” The policy adds that “the immigration status of a person, and the lack of immigration documentation, should have no bearing on the manner in which Sheriff’s Office personnel execute their duties.”

According to ICE documents, Sonoma County declined 491 detainer requests in 2014 and 2015. During the 2017 period from January 28 through February 3, when President Donald Trump issued his immigration Executive Order 13768 to require all federal, state and local government to comply with ICE detainers, Sonoma County still denied detainers.

Sonoma County fires have killed dozens. 172 are still missing and 102,000 residents have been dislocated — about one-fifth of the entire population. The latest financial losses include 3,819 unincorporated parcels with 100 structures valued at $2,016,962,239, and 2,907 homes and 86 commercial units lost in the city of Santa Rosa valued at $1.18 billion.

http://www.breitbart.com/california/2017/10/17/ice-detainer-issued-for-suspected-wine-country-arsonist-in-sonoma-jail/


Suspected arsonist arrested in Sonoma

A man suspected of arson was arrested at Maxwell Farms Regional Park in Sonoma on Sunday afternoon after he was seen leaving a creek bed where a fire was burning, authorities said.

Three Sonoma County Probation officers patrolling the area because of ongoing fires in the region noticed Jesus Fabian Gonzalez, 29, walking out of the creek area and a plume of smoke behind him, Sheriff’s Sgt. Spencer Crum said.

Sheriff’s Deputy John Grohl was called to the scene and extinguished the fire, which was then completely doused by Sonoma Valley Fire Protection District personnel.

Gonzalez was wearing a trench coat and told officers he started the fire because he was cold, Crum said.

Gonzalez lives under a bridge nearby and is well known to law enforcement, he said.

He was arrested fon suspicion of felony arson and transported to the Sonoma County Jail for booking.

http://www.sonomanews.com/news/7531466-181/suspected-arsonist-arrested-in-sonoma