Previously on "Weed Country"..
Right now, I'm looking at eight years in jail.
Out on bail, the *** pot dealer, Matt Thomson
drove deep into the Emerald Triangle,
looking to get back into the weed business.
What are you gonna do with all your cannabis? Where's it going?
Shotwell clashed with growers B.E. Smith and Nate Morris...
The middleman is gonna take the business away from us.
Who suggested another local grower.
There's a gentleman named Mike Boutin.
You might want to talk to him.
Matt Thomson's surveillance unit discovered
an illegal pot farm...
[Camera shutter clicks]
And Nate Morris...
It's all gone?
Had his precious crop destroyed.
Oh [Bleep].
Deep in the heart of the Northern California mountains,
marijuana growing season is under way.
You're growing in your front yard.
Well, yeah.
This is the Emerald Triangle...
ground zero for a multi-billion-dollar marijuana industry.
Originally comprised of three counties covering 10,000 square miles,
it's now growing out of control.
I mean, look at the size of that.
It's a decades-old battle between cops...
It is a problem of epidemic proportions.
Narrator: Dealers... Just a business that can't fail.
Narrator: And growers.
Mike B.: There's nothing more American than a man
producing a product that people want.
Narrator: They stand to make millions or be locked up for years.
Arguably, I just committed a felony.
[Barks] We got somebody running.
Shotwell: This is weed country.
[Gunshots]
Yeah, I'm breaking the law on TV.
So what?
Synch & corrections by Vegemite www.addic7ed.com
My understanding is that there was some drama
and people panicked,
cut down all their gardens, and fled.
Narrator: Nate Morris shares a farm with fellow grower Eric Honour.
- We're not doing anything wrong. - No, and we love what we do.
Morris: We're here.
Narrator: Eric had second thoughts
about Nate sharing his story with TV cameras...
Morris: Yeah, that's really sad. Look at that.
Narrator: And sent him a message.
Morris: If you're a criminal and you've got, you know,
other criminals to look after, the idea that some jackass shows up
with a camera crew is gonna rub you the wrong way.
[Sighs]
Narrator: Afraid that Nate's story would get them both arrested,
Eric pulled up all the plants.
Morris: It just destroyed my heart.
[Sighs]
I get emotionally attached to the plants,
and knowing the good that they could have done
makes it that much worse.
Oh [Bleep].
Narrator: Nate hopes to grow specific strains of weed
he believes will counteract the symptoms of epilepsy.
It's just gone...
Just gone.
Hey, it's a pleasure to meet you.
- Nice to meet you. Ben. - Who's this? Hi, Ben.
He was approached by Catherine Jacobson
to treat her son, Ben,
who suffers through 10 to 12 seizures a day.
Morris: The outlook for a child like Ben is very bleak.
It's often a death sentence.
Any one of those seizures could be the one that takes his life, so
it's hard to overstate the significance.
Even just the genetic heritage of what was lost here...
Some of these strands I'd been working on for years.
Every plant that gets cut down, there could be an epilepsy patient's life
hanging in the balance.
And for it to end this way is certainly depressing.
Narrator: It's too late and too dangerous to start over.
In order to help Ben, Nate must find another supplier,
someone with weed from which he can make an equally
safe and effective form of medicine from cannabis.
Morris: I will stop at nothing.
Narrator: Just to the north, an investigation is under way.
Thomson: So, when did we figure out what road that is?
Yeah, we just got to the intersection of the 20 and the 34.
Lieutenant Matt Thomson and his team
are preparing for a closer look at a large grow
they spotted the day before during a surveillance mission.
Change in color got the interest of the spotter.
When they looked at the photos,
you can see, I mean, plain as day, plants.
And I mean actually so good that you could actually,
in one of the photos, see leaves.
Probably gonna put a couple guns with you, though.
- Adams: That's good. - No, that's fine.
Narrator: Thomson needs to figure out how the growers are
getting supplies in and weed out of the grow site.
He divides his unit.
One team hides motion-controlled cameras...
hoping to capture video of suspect vehicles driving
in and out of the area to use as evidence.
How's that?
Perfect.
Thomson and Adams travel the perimeter of the grow, looking for more evidence.
Adams: We're looking for signs...
You know, any little piece of trash or whatever...
Something that might lead us to the area where they might be
actually supplying the growth.
That shell casing right there.
[Vehicle doors open]
.270.
Narrator: Bullet casings at the perimeter mean the growers could be armed.
Adams: The reason we call it "danger close"
is we figure just your average rifle, 100 yards.
That's not very far.
You know, a stationary target isn't hard to hit at 100 yards.
That's pretty damn close.
Definitely, your awareness level goes way up.
Definitely gonna have to put a camera up here.
Looks like you could probably put a couple of them, you know?
[Water running]
Mike B.: I don't have money for a plumber.
Narrator: At Grace farms, Mike Boutin's water main has burst.
[Metal clangs]
Mike B.: Nothing's easy.
- Hey, babe. - Tawni: Hey.
I had my whole day change.
I have a major, like, water leak under the house. It's the main water line.
I got to get it fixed today.
Narrator: Water is critical for the survival of Boutin's plants.
Without it, he and his wife, Tawni, face financial ruin.
Do you think you can get it fixed today?
I don't know.
Tawni: If the weather heats up,
depending on how long it takes him to get it going,
we could lose our whole crop.
That's a big issue.
[Saw buzzes]
This is absolutely my sole focus today because it's gonna be 100 degrees,
clear sunny day tomorrow, and that's gonna suck the water right out of the ground.
It can't take that.
God, I don't want to be under here!
Roach, dust [Bleep].
Ok.
Get an address here.
Narrator: Matt Shotwell was the biggest marijuana-dispensary owner in Vallejo, California,
until he was busted and shut down.
Shotwell: I don't know anybody that's gone through what I've gone through.
Constant police harassment.
They know where I live. They've tapped my phones.
They've liquidated my bank accounts.
They've taken my 401(K)S, my rental-property accounts.
Everything is gone.
Narrator: Shotwell is already facing eight years in prison...
- [Bleep] - And he's out on bail.
One slipup, he could double the charges and face 20 years behind bars.
Shotwell: I have nothing left,
and I've come up here to the Emerald Triangle to start over.
Oh, there's a bulldozer, so there's a little bit of redneck-ery out here.
Narrator: Desperate to acquire more weed to sell,
Shotwell hit a dead end when both B.E. Smith and Nate Morris
refused his business.
Shotwell: They're still in the game.
I've been put on the bench,
but at the end of the day, I got bills to pay.
I have to get my finances in order, and a big part of that is making a commission
between farm and a patient's pipe in Vallejo without going back to jail.
We're coming up.
Mike B.: Ugh, take that.
Damn, this is tricky [Bleep] being a plumber, ain't it?
Ah, we slipped in.
Hey, I'm going with it, right?
Shotwell: I think this is it.
This is it.
Okay.
Here goes nothing.
[Dog barking]
Is this it?
I was a little nervous about coming up here 'cause I know that
Mike Boutin drives thousands of pounds of marijuana,
and I'm coming up here, trying to do business with him as a new person that he doesn't know.
Hey.
I'm looking for Mike Boutin.
The house. I could...
He's under the house?
Yeah, fixing a pipe.
This little towhead Dennis the menace kid
walking down the sidewalk... He's probably 100 pounds soaking wet.
What is this, "camp cannabis for kids" up here?
I'm Matt.
Hey, I'm Taylor.
- Taylor, good to meet you, man. - What's going on?
Well, I was given this address.
- Hey. - Oh, there he is.
You must be Mike.
Mike B.: What's up? Who are you?
Matt Shotwell.
And that means...?
You're the infamous Mike Boutin, huh?
I don't know about that. How'd you find me?
Uh, a guy named Nate farmer
- told me about... - Nate. I know Nate, yeah.
I went over to visit this guy named B.E. Smith.
I'm looking for a cannabis expert, and
Nate came over and threw your name out there.
I understand the references you're throwing at me.
- Yeah. - I mean, and they carry some weight...
- Yeah. - But you mentioned me as being "infamous."
There's a difference between being famous and being infamous,
and the difference is the behavior.
I just put my foot in my mouth right there.
I shouldn't have said that.
Already, I'm wondering if we're gonna be on the same page.
At the same time, you came a long way?
Yeah, yeah. I did. I came a long damn way... About 400 miles.
So, you got products. I got patients. So, I just wanted to talk to you about
- how maybe we could mutually help each other. - Yeah, well that sounds good.
I mean, you know, I'm about having a talk.
Take a break, maybe smoke?
- Yeah, let's do that. - Bring any smoke with you?
I did, but I'd like to try yours.
- Let's smoke some. - Let's burn.
Go ahead and close that behind the dog, too, if you don't mind.
- Uh-huh. - Thanks. Cool.
You can have a seat right there.
Okay.
I'll grab a little smoke real quick.
I just pissed the guy off,
and now he's inviting me into his house.
If somebody pissed me off,
I wouldn't invite them in my house
unless I was gonna kick his ass.
Well, let's give it a ride. Here, I'll give you this... this.
All right.
You can roll some of that up, 'cause you know what?
Truthfully, I got to tell you something.
I did read about you, man. Big, big problems in Vallejo.
I don't know, man. I'm not saying...
I'm saying I got to check you out.
Make the calls, man.
He picks up the phone,
and he sets a freaking gun
out in front of me
where I can see it.
If somebody didn't check a recommendation,
it would almost be like they weren't even legit.
[Ringing]
Adams: This is real time, right here.
We actually ended up with some suspects on there
that we think we're gonna be able to get identified.
And booyah.
Mike B.: I got to call some guys to make sure you're who you say you are.
Make the calls, man.
Narrator: Matt Shotwell's dispensary was raided and shut down,
leaving him with nothing.
Desperate, he's come to Grace farms to strike a new deal.
[Telephone beeps]
Shotwell: He picks up the phone,
and he sets a freaking gun
out in front of me
where I can see it.
[Ringing]
Girl: Hello?
Hey, is B.E. around?
_
Oh, okay. Hey, would you tell him his friend
Mike Boutin from Mad River called?
_
Okay. Bye.
I'm gonna give Nate a call.
[Ringing]
[Chuckling] Nate.
I got a visitor sitting here.
Someone came and found me. They threw your name at me.
You know a guy named Shotwell?
What was your take?
- What was your... - Morris: [Stammers]
[Telephone beeps]
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
There's a guy shows up at my place, and he says,
"hey. Nate said," you know, blah, blah, blah, and I'm like, "really?"
Narrator: The day before,
Shotwell tried to make a business arrangement with B.E. Smith...
We got to band together or the middleman's gonna
take the business away from us.
It's a parasite on the system.
But was shut down.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well...
Yeah, yeah.
All right, man.
Later.
It's pretty sticky. I'm trying to get your tumblers to turn.
[Chuckles] Oh, man, sorry. Well, you know what?
Good stuff. [Chuckles]
Sticky weed, but, uh...
[Chuckles]
Sticky situation's getting unstickier 'cause so far,
you're all good.
Nate didn't have any bad vibes,
and that's all good.
- Okay. - Okay.
Okay. Well, I have a lot of ideas I want to share with you.
Well, let's talk some more about it and smoke some.
Shotwell: So, after I get verified by Mike Boutin, he offered to smoke with me
and extend the olive branch of cannabis to me.
That means something in this industry.
[Inhales deeply]
It's good smoke, right there.
- You like that? - Yeah. It tastes good.
I mean, don't patronize me. You don't have to do that.
No, if it was [Bleep] I'd tell you it was [Bleep].
Good. [Inhales deeply] Good.
That's the kind of people I like.
The medicine's starting to kick in, and the edge is starting to come off,
and I'm glad, too, 'cause it toned him down a little bit, too, you know?
I'm glad, you know, "you smoke." "Go ahead. No. You." You know?
And I'm like, "one for me, two for you," you know?
And that's how I kind of roll around people like that.
"One for me, two for you." I want to be sharper than you.
Narrator: Just to the east,
grower Nate Morris is embarking on a new journey.
Morris: I have just learned that my farm has been destroyed.
It's actually a lot worse than the worst nightmare
because I was depending on that farm
to help me produce this medicine that I promised Ben.
Now that's not an option.
Narrator: Nate needs to find a farmer growing specific types of marijuana.
He plans to remove the compounds that make you high
to make a non-smokeable concentrate
that will help reduce Ben Jacobson's seizures.
Ben suffers from a form of treatment-resistant epilepsy that could kill him.
Morris: I'm not exactly sure what I'm gonna do, but,
luckily, I have some good friends that I can call upon,
and hopefully one of them will step up to the plate and help me out.
[Ringing]
- Smith: Hello? - Hey, B.E., it's Nate.
Hey, hey.
B.E. is my best-case scenario in terms of a farmer to help me out.
I've known him for years.
Great. I'll see you soon.
Yeah.
If there's anyone in a position to
help me complete my research,
it's B.E.
He's already using the same strands
that are exactly the types of strands I was working with.
I'm gonna see if he's interested,
but the reality is
B.E. doesn't need to take a dive for anybody,
and a sinking ship is not something you want to jump aboard.
Mike B.: What is the status of your case down there?
I got court on August 16th... preliminary hearing.
I got the best lawyer money can get,
and we're gonna file for a motion to dismiss.
The judge could say, "kick rocks.
We're gonna, you know... This is proceeding."
Or he could say,
"dismissed."
Everybody has their threat they're facing.
Yeah.
See, this farm right here... my wife and I...
We can't compete with kids
who have backpacks full of weed that they grew up here,
and all they had to do was camp out on a piece of property
and crap on the ground and eat top ramen.
I can't compete with that. And I won't compete with that.
- Okay. - I can produce some of the best
top-grade medical cannabis in the state,
but that's not to say that I don't live
every month on my last $500, because I do.
The kind of help I'm bringing is gonna be a new...
It's a new business model for me, myself.
I'm a business guy. I know all the people that you need to know.
And you grow all the medicine that I need to have.
Mike B.: Matt found himself in some trouble down in Vallejo,
and I think he wants to be back in a position where he was
but not as exposed.
He wants collaboration.
The cities have a lot of the patients.
We have the room to do the production.
And so if some people from both sides put together
something that's equitable for everybody, including the patients,
that's something I can get behind.
That's a model I would like to develop,
and I need some O.G.S in the game like you.
So, we're on the same page.
Yeah.
The upside is having a steady place
to recoup our investment, and that makes us more money.
The downside of it is that any behavior
that I would not be associated with that happens
could reflect on me.
Maybe being a poor, struggling medical-marijuana guy
with like 40 members is
better than being part of something that draws a lot of interest.
I don't know.
If I tell any dispensary operator or a patient that your medicine is two thumbs up,
it's sold.
My word is gold in Vallejo.
I don't have a problem figuring out a way to work together, but,
you know, we have a long way to go.
I'm on this mission to produce CBDs
for the 3-year-old named Ben, and I need flowers.
Nate has a damn good chance of going to jail.
A damn good chance.
You into working with me on that project?
Oh, see, like, with these cameras? The shadow?
It's kicking it off.
Narrator: After retrieving their cameras,
Lieutenant Matt Thomson and Detective Don Adams review surveillance footage.
Well, you can see here when it goes to night shot.
There. And then they sit there. See?
And they'll stop right around the corner, just out of view.
This is real time, right here.
But in the meantime...
This pulls in.
Lieutenant Thomson's team will run license plates to link the vehicles with suspects.
Now, we also have the other video. So, we hear the vehicle coming.
Thomson and Adams keep an eye out for irregularities,
including out-of-place luxury vehicles.
Then this shows up.
Thomson: And booyah.
Reviewing some of the surveillance work we've done out there,
and we actually ended up with some suspects on there
that we think we're gonna be able to get identified.
That's about as solid as it gets.
Yeah.
Mike B.: So, here, just take this.
That's the best meds we have right now.
- Thank you. - And then just answer your own questions.
Have you ever had it tested for THC?
- Never. - Okay.
I'll have it tested for you and let you know.
Oh, that'd be great.
Shotwell: I need to test Boutin's medicine for potency, for quality.
If it's top-notch, I'm gonna get top dollar.
I could very easily be back in business.
If we're gonna do something and do it right,
we got to start planning it now, anyway.
Right.
'Cause it's got to be equitable for both people, right?
Sounds good, dude.
Narrator: Boutin and Shotwell make a tentative agreement.
I'll call you.
Shotwell: In this business of thieves and outlaws,
there's not many people that you can trust,
and I feel like I can trust Mike Boutin.
Mike B.: He can call me. He can see if it'll work out.
I want to like this guy.
There's things about him I do like.
But I'm not sure I trust him.
Narrator: Grower B.E. Smith and his grandson, Aaron,
are trimming buds from an early harvest.
[Dog barking]
Hear someone?
[Barking continues]
Smith: Someone's coming.
Who is that?
- Oh, it's Nate. All right. - Yeah.
Nate Morris arrives at B.E.'s farm,
hoping to continue his quest using B.E.'s crop.
- Hey, Nate. - How you doing, buddy?
- Good. How are you doing? - Hey.
Smith: I relate to Nate
because I've been through what he's been through.
I've had my gardens cut down.
I had to eat beans for the winter.
And Nate's gonna have a rough time, financially,
to get through until he gets this going.
I've had a crazy adventure over the past couple weeks.
It's gotten really heavy. I, um...
I met this woman named Catherine, who's got a 3-year-old named Ben,
who has chronic epilepsy.
It's a pretty tragic case.
The kid was having up to a dozen seizures a day
and not particularly responsive to medication.
And for young people, epilepsy like that...
- Oh, yeah. - It could be fatal. It's, you know...
She started him on CBDs,
which is one of the cannabinoids in the plant,
and problem solved. Seizures go away.
You know, this flower... Problem solved.
It's mind-blowing.
She asked me if I could help her find, like, a pure source of CBDs.
Narrator: Every marijuana plant contains tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC...
The ingredient that offers pain relief and produces the high.
The marijuana plant also has cannabidiol, or CBD,
which not only combats the effects of THC, reducing the high,
it's shown to relieve seizures in adults.
So now I'm on this mission to produce CBDs.
I'm kind of scrambling to find any way I can.
I need to produce medicine right now.
So I'm kind of... I'm looking around for any plants
that have some CBDs in them, and then I can refine it to a pure CBD.
I need flowers. I'm on a mission.
You into working with me on that project?
Let's do it.
- Right on, buddy. - I'm willing and able.
- Thank you. - You're welcome.
I had a feeling you would say that.
B.E. has already served time for growing weed.
Partnering with Nate could send him back to prison.
But for B.E., it's personal.
My granddaughter
started having seizures when she was 15 years old.
And they didn't know what to give her
to stop these seizures.
Narrator: Since marijuana has been scheduled as a class-one narcotic,
worse than cocaine,
the federal government limits studies into the plant's use as a seizure fighter
it's against the law.
Smith: When it comes to
your granddaughter...
_
It's a whole new direction,
but it's positive.
Tawni: Hey, babe. Who was that?
That was a guy named Matt Shotwell.
Found me through Nate. He had greenwell dispensary.
It got raided.
Well, how well do they know them?
He's trying to put his thing back together. He doesn't really have a source.
He's looking for people who have the right attitude and the right product
to maybe build this sort of maybe cooperative thing.
[Clicks tongue]
This isn't nothing to be too concerned about. It's just an opportunity.
I think it's worth pursuing.
Well, you're gonna check him out more than just on the word of Nate and B.E.?
I know people I can talk to, and I'm gonna find out more.
I mean, because this guy's facing charges, babe.
- Why is he even here, for crying out loud? - Right. I said that. Is he a snitch?
Where'd he come from? Why is he here? He shows up unannounced.
It makes me very uneasy,
and I don't know what his angle is, but I don't like it.
I don't... I think he's a good guy.
I mean, he's a city guy. Don't get me wrong.
Well, that's what makes me nervous.
What's up, hillbilly? You lost again?
[Engine revs]
Whoa! That is ferocious!
So, for this operation, case number's 1214586.
Narrator: Lieutenant Matt Thomson is leading a SWAT team in a safety briefing.
It was located by the recon flight on the 24th of July.
They estimate it's between 3,000 and 10,000 plants.
And this is all big pods of them mixed in.
With license-plate numbers and aerial surveillance,
Thomson's team moves from investigation to takedown.
The objective is obvious, here... To safely, covertly enter the grow site,
locate and arrest suspects, clear it,
and hold secure for the evidence collection and eradication.
Thomson: Bad guys are great to get.
We push for that because I think we hurt them twice as bad
if we end up arresting people and get their dope.
But I want to make sure that we get the plants before they get out on the street.
All right, based on our training experience,
persons involved in this type of marijuana-grow operation are armed.
Suspects hide in these sites for months at a time,
meaning that they're keenly aware
of their surroundings and well-versed in the terrain.
They will likely have escape plans and routes, booby traps...
Both anti-personnel and noise-making types are of concern.
This is a real mission.
They're gonna hold their ground and fight.
It's a dangerous business, and we all know that.
And we know things can go bad in a second.
Sheriff?
No paycheck for second place, so
Keep your nose clean over there and be safe.
Narrator: Leading the battle cry is sheriff Mike Winters.
These guys... It's money to them.
It's a cash business. You guys know the deal.
They're always armed.
You do what you have to do to win.
That's what we do. We're in it to win it.
2010, we had our first
officer-involved shooting in a garden,
and they keep upping their game.
There's booby traps.
There's not been a garden that we've been in
where we haven't taken weapons out of there.
It's big business to them.
They're willing to do anything to get their crop in.
All right. Thanks.
So, you pick anything you want out, Nate.
- Morris: Okay. - So, you take whatever
you think you want to test.
Narrator: Back on B.E.'s farm, B.E. and his grandson, Aaron,
are offering up plant samples to Nate.
[Plant snaps]
- There you go. - Oh, that's a beautiful flower.
Some of B.E.'s plants have matured early,
and Nate hopes they contain the CBDs needed to make Ben's medicine.
It doesn't get much better than harvesting ganja.
No.
You know, think about what this world would be
without this war on drugs.
Yeah. It's such a no-brainer.
Yeah, it's a no-brainer, isn't it, Nate?
Back in the day, you know, I started walking point for this movement.
And now other young men are coming forward...
Guys like you, starting to walk point.
And I appreciate that.
And you're putting yourself in a bad spot with the law.
But you're doing it for a great purpose.
You're doing it for children.
- Yeah. - And I got to take my hat off to you.
You don't pass off leadership in a movement.
You got to earn that leadership.
There's gonna be a lot of leaders,
but then there's gonna be one that stands above,
and Nate's gonna be that person.
I won't lie, man. I'm scared.
Children are just a whole other element to this.
It's its own felony to supply for children,
and it's never even occurred to me
that that would be something I'd ever want to do until I found out about this.
I can't not do it, though. I mean, it's so important.
I'm proud of you.
And hearing you say you're proud of me means so much.
One day, he's gonna sit in front of his peers
in a court of law.
And his peers either gonna find him innocent,
or they're gonna find him guilty.
Because he's facing years in prison
if they don't change this law.
Yeah, buddy, thank you for letting me take those samples.
Yeah. You're welcome.
Nate has a damn good chance of going to jail.
A damn good chance.
Now, be real quiet. Okay?
We're 20 yards in.
Stay alert for any growers.
[Dog barking] Everyone, hold your positions.
[Static]
Let's load up. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go.
Narrator: Two miles outside of the illegal grow,
the sheriff's deputies are preparing for battle.
[Gun cocks]
Radio check. [Chuckling] Hey.
Narrator: All team members wear communication equipment.
Now I just got to find my GPS.
The team will be receiving tactical information from a command post
strategically positioned outside the grow.
[Gun cocks]
We are ready to roll.
Lieutenant Thomson will lead the team into the grow site.
Gentlemen, be safe. Watch each other.
Okay? Let's do it.
Thomson and his men advance on the farm
under the cover of darkness,
hoping to take the growers by surprise.
[Birds chirping]
I woke up this morning, and of course, I want to get my day started.
[Bacon sizzles] So I wanted some breakfast.
Narrator: Mike Boutin reflects on his recent visitor,
Matt Shotwell.
Mike B.: Well, my brother, Ray, who's a cop in Yreka...
He thinks I've got a target on my back,
which is all fine and good, but now this Shotwell guy shows up,
and he's been in some trouble.
People have just flat said to me,
"there's a man who's trying to go to jail."
I don't know that that's true,
but he's a guy that's pushing real hard.
You got product. I got patients.
It doesn't mean I'll follow you to jail. [Burner clicks]
Thomson: Start from that point. Search outward.
Copy that.
Behind us is one of our mobile command posts.
We have satellite, Internet, phone system, anything we need to go,
because if something bad happens, this is we're we gonna get medics from.
This is where we make the call to anybody on the outside
and can get whatever assistance we need.
This is our lifeline.
And now we wait.
Okay. One, two, three.
You're four.
Five. You're six.
Narrator: The team separates.
To the west,
Thomson takes his men directly toward the grow.
Detective Adams moves toward the north to outflank anyone trying to flee.
Thomson to command.
[Static] Thomson to command.
Thomson, command.
We're at our jump-off point. We're probing a little bit.
We'll let them know when we move in.
Did you copy that?
Copy.
Hey, Johnson, just take a quick look there.
If it doesn't look like there's any trails
or anything through there, let me know.
[Dog barking in distance]
[Barking continues]
[Water running]
[Barking stops]
Thomson to Adams.
Adams: Go ahead.
- Start moving. - Okay.
Now, be real quiet. Okay? Watch your feet.
Okay, we're gonna move a little bit further down,
and then we should be moving towards each other.
Okay.
Minimize sound on this initial entry.
[Static]
First team coming down the hill.
On the top edge of the grove right now.
We're gonna move in.
Adams: Okay.
[Silverware clanks]
Hey, Tawni, you hear something?
Go down. Up and in.
Hey, Tawni, you hear something?
[Birds chirping]
[Dog barking]
What's up, hillbilly?
This guy's a complete jackass.
Narrator: Mike Boutin confronts a neighbor
who has a history of harassing the farm.
You lost again?
[Bleep] you.
Each summer, they feud,
and this year, it's over the property line.
You lost again?
Are you lost again, man? What's up?
Mike B.: On my property, I have a line...
A clothesline strung in a tree.
And now only just a few weeks ago has it been alleged
that I'm on his property.
[Engine revs]
Whoa! That's ferocious!
That is ferocious!
Go get a surveyor and prove it.
Don't run your mouth and, you know, drive your four-wheeler fast.
That really isn't gonna convince me that you're right.
Stop trying to pretend like you're dangerous before you get hurt.
Did you, like, see the hillbilly?
I forgot to tell you that the hillbilly cruised me
the other night when I was in the hoopie.
Narrator: Here in the Emerald Triangle,
neighbor disputes often escalate into violence.
And before long...
I don't need more trouble. That's what I don't need.
The cops are called in.
Tawni: It can make things really tense.
You could get...
One little ticked-off neighbor making a phone call on you
could bring the cops over here.
Thomson: Stay alert for any growers.
They're probably up and around by now.
[Static]
Narrator: The SWAT team reaches the grow...
We're at the hooch.
And the occupants...
Woke up somebody.
Were just here.
I'll probably gonna need you to secure that.
Make sure there's nothing else up above us where you're at,
and then send some people down here.
We're held up where we're at till you get down this direction.
Adams: Copy that.
Everyone, hold your positions.
[Static]
Thomson, we're at the edge of the grow.
Okay, they're on their way.
Yeah, we're gonna need to push down the valley.
Gorell, watch your six right where you're at.
Fan out to either side.
[Static]
We're 20 yards in.
Looks like they might be right over there.
Narrator: Thomson and his team find a pod of marijuana plants.
The plants are being grown on public land
and are in clear violation of federal and state laws.
Our guys are working right there.
But I don't know what's further down.
This is the bottom of this pod.
Word comes of another pod of plants.
The suspects could be hiding anywhere and are likely armed.
Man: The last pod is clear.
But the suspects are nowhere to be found.
Thomson: It's nice to be able to catch bad guys every single time,
but we can't, and we don't.
Nobody catches them all the time.
But we're not giving up on this grow.
Just 'cause we didn't catch anybody in it,
we're not gonna give up on it.
So, these would be considered three full plants.
We're gonna document the entire grow
by taking 10 samples and 5 full plants.
Narrator: When suspects are found and apprehended,
the plant evidence will be essential for their prosecution.
Adams: You know, by the size of the camp,
it indicates that they may have lived here full time.
Narrator: With such a large operation,
it's a good bet that at least one grower has slipped up
and left a clue that will place them at the scene of this illegal cannabis farm.
Adams: Just start looking for anything that might lead to something.
You know what I mean? A receipt, uh...
from Costco.
- Huh? - Propane tanks?
Is there a date on it or anything?
7/21 of '12.
Document it.
Hey, the expiration date on this is the 16th of August.
Is there a name on it?
No. The doctor's name's on it.
Perfect.
Thomson: Thomson to command.
Man: Heard from you.
We're all clear. We're ready for erad crew.
With the site clear of suspects and evidence,
Thomson calls in the eradication team to cut down the grow.
For Thomson, the raid is a qualified success.
Thomson: It's a huge win for us 'cause we get 2,000 plants
off the street, which is really huge.
And we collected evidence, and we'll try to work it back to the bad guys
and see if we can figure that out.
- So, were they harvesting? - Oh, yeah.
Narrator: Since the growers were harvesting,
all these plants were about to hit the streets.
What we do on a daily basis is stressful.
We literally put our life on the line
for, as what we hear so often, a little green plant, a flower.
But we do it because of the meaning that's behind it.
Thomson: Each plant that goes down,
that's marijuana that's not gonna get out there
and maybe get somebody hooked on marijuana and other drugs.
Somebody's gonna smoke before they get behind the wheel
of a car and go kill someone.
Adams: When each plant falls, it's a win to us.
That one may have done it. We cut
30,000 of them, but that one right there may have saved somebody's life.
That made a difference.
Narrator: But for growers and dealers like Matt Shotwell,
that's not how they see it.
Shotwell: Every time a raid happens and those plants get cut down,
that's product and profit
that never reaches the people's hands that need to get it.
That's medicine and money.
Morris: Every plant that gets cut down,
there's a body count associated with that move.
There could be a kid's life hanging in the balance there.
Those plants, they're gonna get cut down one way or another.
The difference? If we cut them down,
it's life.
If somebody else cuts it down, it doesn't matter who it is...
It could be the sheriff's department. It could be the feds...
It's death.
I'm gonna stand in the gap.
I will. Count on that.
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