It seemed to be luck shone from the marijuana gods above. In one of the summer's largest disasters, a scorching New Mexico fire began burning tribal lands and threatened to destroy one of the U.S.' top nuclear facilities. And flash floods followed. Yet, through it all, more than 9,000 pot plants survived--without going up in smoke. Then the pipe dream was drowned, as Black Hawk helicopters airlifted 10 million in weed from a hidden plantation.
It took more than a month to put out. Officially dubbed the biggest fire in New Mexico's history, the Las Conchas fire burned almost 250 square miles of the mountainsides around Los Alamos and the government's famous Los Alamos National Laboratory. Flames -- sparked by a fallen tree that had hit a power line -- took 36 days to get under control. The disastrous fire licked across Valles Caldera National Preserve, lands of the northern New Mexico pueblos and parts of the monument. The Jemez Mountains in the Santa Fe National Forest burned so hot that the blaze which burned over 156,000 acres could be seen from space. NASA even released International Space Station photos showing the largest fire in New Mexico history.
But as it turned out, one very big thing had been left intact after the blaze that burned so much.
Firefighters would've been facing a nasty contact high had they hit a more remote area of Bandelier National Monument. While the Las Conchas fire devastated parts of New Mexico, it left a very sophisticated weed-growing operation untouched -- the pot plants growing right in New Mexico's own 'back yard'.
Hidden in the backcountry were marijuana plants estimated between 6-foot to 10-foot tall, and carrying some weight: The discovered pot's worth about $10 million bucks. Someone lost a small fortune.
Those behind the pot-growing operation seem to have had things down to a science: Law enforcement found a well-developed irrigation system, housing on the fly, a whole heap of food -- and what appears to be a fast route for evacuation. But, as things turned out, no one ended up needing an escape route in any way planned.
Despite the fact the marijuana was saved from natural disaster, the end's proved just as disastrous for growers. While many in the nation are looking for jobs, it seems at least two multi-millionaires have been residing in New Mexico. Or two would-be multi-millionaires: It was an unfortunate 'turn of the tide' for a couple of pot growers -- who probably weren't expecting water to cause the demise of what would have been a pretty good generator of wealth.
It's a bit ironic that while heat didn't fry the temperamental crops, water proved the demise: The pot plantation was spotted -- despite being well-hidden in rugged terrain -- when a helicopter began surveying the region for a flash flood after a monsoon. When the government was forced to survey the region, it ended up surveying two men instead.
Black Hawk helicopters are used for more than in war and in a raid on Bin Laden: A National Guard Black Hawk copter helped airlift massive pounds of marijuana out of the New Mexico area -- most of which was headed to an undisclosed location. According to law enforcement, the majority of airlifted pot was destined for "proper disposal," while an undisclosed portion was retained -- supposedly for testing, to be used as evidence.
It was pretty much the perfect place. Cops say the late-August growing bust in New Mexico is the first marijuana-growing operation ever discovered by law enforcement in Bandelier National Monument -- an ideal spot, really, marked by dwellings in canyon walls and created by some very smart Native Americans many centuries ago.
Marijuana growers -- and pot thieves alike -- seem to be getting smarter and smarter in the business aspects of grow sites and related profitability. Just last month, pot thieves pulled a near-perfect heist of precious weed, garnering $20,000 of the natural herb when marijuana robbers set up a non-existent CA drop-off point -- for a driver from the Bay Area -- at a fake medical marijuana facility. The pot clinic didn't really exist at that address. Thieves did a great job of making the spot look real and even included a green, painted cross on the wall -- to confuse the delivery driver, fooling him through use of the international symbol for marijuana drop-offs.
That Fullerton, California, heist was near-perfect rather than perfect -- only because robbers would have had twice the amount of pot had they not accidentally scattered it all over the ground. But the pair can probably deal with things not being flawless: No one's yet been busted in the Fullerton, Southern California, weed robbery.
Losing millions in work and investment is not a fortunate run -- especially after the earth seemed so generous in sparing all that hard-grown herb. But despite any lack of fortune those growers may be feeling about losing all that cash, the two guys running the New Mexico pot plantation can hope their best luck continues in never being found. It may have been a lot of cash. It's certainly a lot of prison.
Perhaps those guys want to get out and see the world. The military promises a life of excitement, and some new aerial views. Fly for a few years and they can make mental notes of regions all over the world. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em -- and maybe plan for the future.