Hidden War: How Special Operations Game Wardens Are Reclaiming America's Wildlands From The Drug Cartels

by John Nores

Overview

This isn’t a book about a conflict in a faraway country; it's a wake-up call.

While debates about border security continue to rage, and with stories about legal and illegal marijuana in the news daily, Hidden War forces an astonishing dose of reality into the public consciousness.

California game warden Lt. John Nores, Jr., now retired, has been at the forefront of an under-reported battle against thousands of Mexican drug cartel members who grow toxic marijuana on U.S. soil, frequently on public lands, and sometimes remarkably close to population centers. Who would guess that this struggle is even going on, or that game wardens are on the front lines?

Not only does black market marijuana cultivation undermine legitimate growers, but it endangers lives. The cartels, armed and ready to defend their cash crop, pose a huge threat to hikers, hunters, bikers, bird watchers and everyone else who enjoy public lands and wild places. Further, trespass marijuana growers divert waterways and use banned chemicals that render the plants toxic. And even after these criminals are long gone, they leave behind an environmental disaster that may never be fixed.

It's estimated that black market sales of marijuana comprise up to 90% of all weed sales annually. California is at the hub of this problem, and the effects reverberate across the U.S.

This is John Nores' personal account of his time leading the elite California Special Operations Marijuana Enforcement Team (MET). Hidden War brings to life the firsthand story of how America’s unsung heroes are fighting to keep our wild lands safe.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781946267610
Publisher:	Gun Digest Media
Publication date:	05/14/2019
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	238,633
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Since 1992, Lt. John Nores Jr. has served as a game warden with the California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). There he co-developed the Marijuana Enforcement Team (MET) and Delta Team, the CDFW’s first comprehensive wilderness spec ops tactical and sniper unit, aimed at combatting the marijuana cartel’s decimation of California’s wildlife resources. Lt. Nores and his team have been featured on the National Geographic channel’s television series, “Wild Justice.” In addition, Nores is the author of numerous magazine articles and the book, War in the Woods: Combating the Marijuana Cartels on America’s Public Lands.

Table of Contents

Foreword: Congressmen Jared Huffman 10

Introduction The Thin Green Line Becomes Special Ops - Lt. John Nobis, Jr. [Ret.] 14

Chapter 1 Cartel Kingpin in Silicon Valley: 15 Years to Justice 20

Chapter 2 Mission Croy Road: Gunmen, K9 Phebe and a Pack Mule Named Stanley 44

Chapter 3 Gunfight On Bodfish Creek: Alone and Outgunned 62

Chapter 4 CDFW's Met: America's First Conservation Marijuana Enforcement Team 82

Chapter 5 Mission El Diablo: Deadly Poisons and Impacts on the San Joaquin River 102

Chapter 6 Delta Team: CDFw's First Sniper Element Hits the Ground Running 122

Chapter 7 Liberty Island: K9 Ops and Patron Saints on the Sacramento Delta 154

Chapter 8 The Wild West: Environmental Destruction in the Santa Cruz Mountains 172

Chapter 9 Gunfight Two on Sierra Azul: Dé Jà Vu 11 Years Later 186

Chapter 10 Cannabis Regulation: Enforcement Challenges Beyond Legalization 204

Afterword: The Scarcity of Law Enforcement On Our Nation's Wildlands 220

Addendums

Game Warden Faq 226

Ecological Impacts of Illegal Marijuana Cultivation 234

News Release K9 Phebe 248

Legislative Resolution Honoring K9 Phebe and the Met 250

Editorial Reviews

"If you think we aren't facing real, serious, threats to our natural resources from illicit drugs and human trafficking, you need to read Hidden War. It reads like the mission debrief from an action adventure novel, but it's not. Hidden War is the real, first-person story of battles being fought every day to save our wildlands from the ravages of criminals who don't give a damn about the land, the animals... or us." - Jim Shepherd, Publisher/Founder of The Outdoor Wire

"For those who care about the good earth and harbor deep respect for the legacy of icons such as Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir, this book is at once a clarion call for continued action and an eye-popping 'must read'.” - Jim Casada, Ph.D. Editor at Large Sporting Classics Magazine

"Hidden War chronicles the development of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's Marijuana Enforcement Team (MET). Most People have no idea why game wardens are involved in this battle to save the environment, but once you read about these encounters you will realize the total devastation to habitat and wildlife associated with illegal marijuana grows. Wildlife officers are uniquely qualified to work in this remote environment, and Lt. Nores details the dangers, excitement and rewards that go with the job." - Michael P. Carion, Retired Chief, California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife - Law Enforcement Division

From the Publisher