Biggest Weed Busts Ever

Not surprising that the biggest weed busts ever occurred in the first 15 years of the 21st century. As the global cry for legalization hits its highest note, so too does an anxious criminal element that is at risk of losing employment. With manufacturing facilities, farms, and dispensaries popping up throughout the states that have already legalized marijuana, illegal distribution is maximizing what is a short life span for career pot dealers. Perhaps this is the final crescendo of big weed busts as the legalization movement continues to grow.

15 Tons of Weed on the Border - March 2015

Imagine the weight of a coach bus. Fifteen tons of marijuana were recovered from a truck crossing the border into California from Otay Mesa, Mexico. The truck looked overweighted. A curious border patrol officer asked the driver to run the truck through a giant X-ray device to reveal the contraband. The driver had a shipment label indicating the rig was filled with cushions and mattresses. What they found inside were tightly wrapped plastic bags filled with weed. From floor to ceiling and wall to wall, the truck was packed without an inch to spare. At an estimate of $19 million, there was nearly 32,000 pounds of sweet smelling Mexican home grown.

14 Tons of Weed on the Border - September 2011

Canine cops helped make one of the biggest marijuana busts in US history. Over 14 tons of weed were uncovered during a regular inspection along State Highway 86 not that far from Salton City, leading to one of the largest pot busts ever along the California-Mexico border. Large wooden crates filled the truck and concealed nearly $23 million of Mexican Sativa bricks of weed. Some reports had the dogs excited from a distance of 130 yard before the truck approached. The driver is believed to have been unaware of his shipment as he waited in line for inspection for over 30 minutes.

300 Acres of Weed in Mexico - November 2011

Over 300 acres of Mexican Plantation, with full toilet and shower facilities as well as comfortable living quarters, were hidden under a massive black fabric in the Mexican desert. The US Defense Department cooperated in the search operation with Army general Alfonso Duarte of Mexico. Approximately 140 miles south of Tijuana concealed, a giant black square was concealed in Baja, California. Beneath the cloth were huge plants, some as large as 5 or 6' tall, tightly grown over the acreage. The black tarpan plantation was one of the largest weed busts in history. Farmers harvested over 120 tons of pot from the farm, valued at $158 million.

100,000 Weed Plants in Texas - July 2014

Texas police uncovered over 100,000 plants in Texas in what is definitely one of the biggest weed busts ever. About 65 miles northeast of Houston is the isolated town of Goodrich in the wilderness of Texas. It took inmates from the local jail and 75 law enforcement professional from a dozen different bureaus and agencies days to uproot the massive fields in one of the biggest weed busts in US history. A local creek irrigated the fields and the farmers had created a complex hydration machine. Pumps were set up in the creek, and hoses led up to the fields. While looking for deer in neighboring woods, a hunter phoned in the tip.

20 Tons of Weed on a Mediterranean Ship - April 2013

Italian police nabbed over 20 tons of weed in that country's biggest pot bust ever. Law enforcement agents swarmed the boat in the Mediterranean. While sailing near the island of Pantelleria, the ship was overtaken by customs agents. Officials said they had been tipped off that the freighter, called Adam, was carrying the marijuana after intelligence from the Maritime Analysis Operations Center in Lisbon, which deals with drugs shipments within the European Union. Adam, the name of the ship, was tracked for a number of days before finally being boarded. Lt. Col. Cristino Alemanno said: ''To my knowledge this is the biggest haul of its kind ever seized in the Mediterranean." To describe it as a small mountain of hashish would not be inaccurate.

261 Tons of Hashish in Afghanistan - July 2008

Valued at nearly $400 million, it would take nearly 25 coach busses of weight to understand how much weed was seized by Afghani police. Apparently the Taliban was making about $14 million on the sale. It is the biggest hashish bust in ever. Nothing has come close to touching it since as far as hashish busts. Discovered in Kandahar, the drugs were burnt on site. "The Afghan National Police Special Task Force has made a huge step forward in proving its capability in curbing the tide of illegal drug trade in this country," US Gen. David McKiernan, the commander of ISAF, said in a statement. "With this single find, they have seriously crippled the Taliban's ability to purchase weapons that threaten the safety and security of the Afghan people and the region."

52 Tons of Hashish in Span - July 2013 

In a warehouse in the city of Cordoba, Spanish police found 52 tons of high grade hashish in 1,700 wrapped packages. “This is the largest seizure of the drug ever carried out in Spain and a record also in Europe after police found 36 tons of hashish in a Panamanian-flagged ship in the port of Marin in northwestern Spain in 1996,” the statement said. Over 30 law enforcement agents swarmed the warehouse after an escaped hostage, who made the error of returning a rented forklift to the wrong garage alerted police. The weed had been brought in from Morocco to be sold throughout Europe.

150 Tons of Weed Burned in Tijuana - October 2010

While not quite a bust, Mexican authorities in a single day burned 150 tons of weed that had been seized in a series of large busts over the previous year. The crack down began after the mayhem of violence in 2008. It was out-of-control and left over 834 dead from drug related activities. “The only thing that has changed is you don’t see spectacular murders in the middle of the city,” said Victor Clark-Alfaro, a visiting professor from Tijuana at San Diego State University who has studied drug violence for years. “The elite feel more safe, but in the neighborhoods where drug dealers and addicts are dying, people do not feel any more safe,” he added. The massive fire was a spectacle that sent a strong message to the cartels and the public. “This was a strike at the structure of this criminal group,” Chief Leyzaola said. It is only a matter of time until this era is remembered for the giant weed busts leading up to what will hopefully be country wide legalization.