SWJ–El Centro Book Review – Hidden War: How Special Operations Game Wardens are Reclaiming America’s Wildlands from the Drug Cartels
Lt. John Nores, Jr. (Ret), Hidden War: How Special Operations Game Wardens are Reclaiming America’s Wildlands from the Drug Cartels. Appleton: Caribou Media Group, 2022. 2nd Edition. [ISBN: 978-1951115333, Softcover, 256 pages]
The author of the book, Lt. John Nores, Jr. (Ret), was part of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (CDFW) Marijuana Enforcement Team (MET). The unit’s focus was on identifying, responding to (making arrests and eradicating the grow site), and remediating the environmental damage done by the illicit cultivation. These represent high risk operations for the MET personnel involved who can be considered ‘special forces level equivalent’ game wardens due to their dedication, outdoor fieldcraft, conditioning, and combat training (including sniper team) capabilities.
The author’s prior book on this subject matter— War in the Woods: Combating the Marijuana Cartels on America’s Public Lands published in 2010—has previously been reviewed at SWJ–El Centro. The new work initially came out in 2019 and has been slightly updated in the second edition which came out a few years later. This newer book chronicles the activities and operations the author was involved with from the early 2000s through the later 2010s.
Hidden War contains a dedication page, praise (short promos) for the work, foreword by Jack Carr (former Navy SEAL), introduction, ten chapters, an afterword, five addendums, and a short acknowledgement section. The ten chapters of the book take us through glimpses of Nores’s career, the establishment and evolution of the MET, and the many operations (some which resulted in gun fights with heavily armed cartel operatives) in which he and his comrades were involved.
The work also contains about ninety-five mostly black and white pictures, along with a color inset pictures section, related to the MET and the many operations undertaken. Such imagery is important and allows the reader to better comprehend the terrain, weaponry and equipment, personnel, and rugged terrain in which the marijuana grows exist.
The book has an adrenaline-fueled, tactical vibe to it. Further, the author has a clear love of unspoiled wilderness and respect for our citizens who follow hunting, fishing, and related outdoor (hiking and camping) rules and a clear disdain for those who engage in criminal behaviors and willfully damage this environment. As a law enforcement professional, he can also clearly be seen to respect and uphold the latter’s rights and remain ethical in his interactions with them.
The book is well written, though some redundancy was noted, but still flows well. It can be considered an easy and enjoyable read. The work provides a wealth of cartel TTPs related to their grows in California—how they are laid out with their sleeping areas and kitchens, nuances such as the use of handmade wooden cattle hoof stilts to disguise grower tracks (p. 70), and the use of sharpened and poisoned deer bone to kill the MET canines (p. 198), and the use of toxic weed killers such as Qu Furan (p. 183).
While the training, mission planning, and operations of the MET that were discussed were as expected the very hard work involved in eradicating a marijuana grow and its hasty (and later more involved) remediation were unexpected aspects of the work in which the California game wardens were involved. Specialized PPE (personal protective equipment) needs for HAZMAT (hazardous materials) and the tactical gear (weight carried was a critical issue) required for the combat environment the grows represented for the MET personnel was also surprising. Portraying their unit and mission dedication, these specialized game wardens would seek out the best training they could find—usually paying for it out of their own pockets.
One clear component of the work conveyed was the need for the high levels of training, initial ground recon of a site, and mission planning and preparation that the MET engaged in prior to its operations against a targeted grow. Failure to do so could see not only mission failure resulting in the escape of the cartel growers but the endangerment of the officers (and their canines) involved in the operation—as well personal safety issues related to the illegal and armed growers themselves. It is far better to hit a grow fast and hard professionally with no one getting hurt while the arrests were made than to engage in a botched and amateurish action resulting in a needless gunbattle. Hence, the need for apprehension and QRF (quick reaction force) teams, sniper overwatch, and canine support to be integrated into a well-developed tactical action plan.
An example of the use of terrain by the cartel operatives for their grows and how the MET represented a dynamic learning organization can be seen in this passage from the book related to the June 2012 – Croy Road – South Santa Clara County Operation:
After covering the final 100 yards, Hunter stopped the team. The trail we used to enter the complex [on an earlier recon] had been completely altered. Dry manzanita branches covered the entrance and scattered across the footpath. This noisy trail trap would, at best, spook the growers when we entered, and at worst, allow them to ambush us. However, unlike in 2005 when Mojo was shot and almost killed after our team moved through a similar noisy brush tunnel, we were much more prepared now (p. 53).
The real significance of Hidden War is that it is unique. It provides the reader entry into a world very few Americans even know exist—written by a peace officer who lived, and actually thrived, in this stressful conflict environment for many years. The extent of the cartel grows that exist domestically are both mind boggling in their numbers and the dangers they can pose to hikers and hunters who accidently wander into them given that they can be heavily booby trapped and protected by well-armed cartel members.
The late old school actor W.C. Fields said, “Never work with children or animals” given their unpredictability and scene stealing potentials. The sections of the work on canines used by the MET had mixed reviews in regard. Police dogs provided a critical utility as MET human-canine teaming members, protected their handlers, and faced both physical (were targeted by cartel members) and environmental (many died of cancer young—likely from the HAZMAT conditions they encountered) dangers. However, a new dog taken on a mission can act unpredictable at times (p. 179) and the sections of book discussing the canines were scene stealers; reading about the exploits of the renowned Phebe (aka ‘the Fur Missile’) was immensely enjoyable.
While the book addendums can be considered side shows to the work itself, three elements contained within them are of note. One is the very small number of game wardens that exist domestically which is discussed by James Swan (pp. 226–233). The second is the sheer number of illicit trespass marijuana cultivation sites found on public, tribal, and private/industrial lands in California (p. 241). The third is the numerous types of toxicants recovered at the covert marijuana grows in California (pp. 246–247).
In summation, the work will likely have little appeal to mainstream academics given its tactical focus, law enforcement memoir narrative, and almost utter lack of traditional citations (save for pp. 245, 247 related to the appendices). Rather, its audience will be the practitioners, scholar practitioners, and more applied security academics (those with grit under their fingernails; the PhDs with guns) readership which helps make SWJ (& El Centro) unique. Hidden War is a fascinating and informative read—you will not be disappointed.
El Centro readers can additionally draw upon the work “El Centro Annotated Subject Bibliography: Mafia (Cartel) Water Theft, Water Resource Control, and Community Extortion” for further resources and publications focusing on criminal water theft which domestically in the US is typically tied into illicit cartel marijuana grow
