Marijuana seizure in Pike National Forest: Were the 3,000 plants really worth $9 million?

In its first announcement about the seizure of more than 3,000 marijuana plants from a plot in Pike National Forest, an ultra-popular place for illegal grows (more on that later), the Douglas County Sheriff's Office estimated that the weed was worth $900,000. However, that was later altered to $9 million...

By Michael Roberts

September 9, 2011

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In its first announcement about the seizure of more than 3,000 marijuana plants from a plot in Pike National Forest, an ultra-popular place for illegal grows (more on that later), the Douglas County Sheriff's Office estimated that the weed was worth $900,000. However, that was later altered to $9 million -- which suggests that there's been some major inflation in recent years.

In August 2009, we reported about the discovery of more than 14,000 marijuana plants in Pike -- and while authorities hadn't put a dollar amount on its worth when that post was published, 5,100 pot plants taken from Pike that July were predicted to have generated around $2.5 million.

So... 2,000 fewer plants are now worth nearly four times that much two years later? My computational skills are rusty, but that seems like a mammoth increase -- especially considering that a seizure of 3,000 marijuana plants near Raymond in August 2010 was valued at $500,000. But none of the news agencies reporting about this story, including the Denver Post and the Huffington Post, have questioned the $9 million figure.

Of course, not all plants are created equal. Check out the photos provided by the DCSO below -- and then you do the math.

Photos continue on next page. See more photos like these in our slideshow "Task force finds $2.5 Million marijuana bonanza on Sugarloaf Mountain."

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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