Marijuana plants seized Monday in Browns Valley and Live Oak "are the largest I've seen," a drug enforcement official said.

The alleged growers, William Patrick Wright, 50, and Leon Clifford Foster, 68, grew large amounts of marijuana and distributed it for several years, bragging that California's medical marijuana law would protect them from arrest, said Mike Hudson, commander of the Yuba-Sutter Narcotic Enforcement Team, or NET-5.

Hudson called the pot growing operations "the grossest misuse of the compassionate-use act I've seen."

Officers with search warrants arrived at 7 a.m. at Wright's residence in the 5600 block of Tomahawk Trail in Browns Valley and found a garden with 100 plants. Another 100 were found at Foster's home in the 10200 block of Township Road in Live Oak.

Some of the plants were 7 feet tall or higher. Most averaged only 5 feet in height but had a circumference of about 12 feet and could have produced about 10 pounds each of marijuana, said Hudson, who called it "some of the highest quality marijuana currently available."

It would take about 2,000 normal-size plants to produce an equivalent amount, he said.

"Wright and Foster purposely set up their marijuana operation in different counties to avoid any scrutiny by one particular law-enforcement agency," Hudson said.

Also arrested was Wright's brother, Broderick Paul Wright, 57. All three are charged with cultivation, possession for sale and conspiracy.

A number of people were living at William Wright's home and said he supplied them with marijuana, knowing they did not have prescriptions, Hudson said.

Also found at the home were seven guns, ammunition and methamphetamine paraphernalia.

"This case is not about the medicinal use of marijuana — it's about making money and destroying lives. Wright and Foster could care less about the compassionate use of marijuana. They only care about making money and maintaining a criminal lifestyle," said Hudson.

NET-5 was assisted by the Yuba County Sheriff's Department, the Sutter County Sheriff's Department, the state Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement and the Mountain and Valley Marijuana Investigation Team.

Contact Appeal reporter Rob Young at 749-4710 or at ryoung@appeal-democrat.com