On Monday morning, Aug. 2, ARIS Helicopters, of Corona, supplied the helicopter and pilot for a marijuana eradication operation in Apple Canyon. The company used the helipad in the field just north of the Lake Hemet Sheriff’s Substation. The Bureau of Land Management was also present.
PHOTO BY JACK CLARK
When the newspaper first asked the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department media information bureau (MIB) about its presence in the area, it responded, “I checked with our dispatch and we did not have any calls for service or other activity in the Lake Hemet area today. You might want to reach out to Southern California Edison for more information regarding your inquiry.”
After the newspaper responded to MIB, writing that Deputy Parsons briefly spoke with the newspaper Tuesday and said that it was a marijuana eradication operation, the MIB responded: “Sheriff’s deputies were conducting an operation in the area of Apple Canyon in Mountain Center when they located the marijuana plants. During the operation, 12,420 marijuana plants were eradicated and 150 pounds of processed marijuana was taken. No arrests were made.”
