FELONY CHARGES PENDING IN LARGE POT GROWING OPERATION NEAR DILLON

DILLON -- Felony charges are expected to be filed next week in a large
scale marijuana bust that occurred near here recently.

Local and state law officers seized 96 pot plants from a mobile home
north of Dillon, said Blair Martenson, an agent in charge with the
Southwest Montana Drug Task Force in Butte.

The home included plants in all stages of growth, which is typical of
larger pot growing operations, he said.

"This was a marijuana growing operation that was pretty well
sophisticated with the way it was set up," Martenson said.

Task force agents combined with deputies from the Beaverhead County
Sheriff's Office raided the home on Feb. 1.

An adult male and female are suspects. They have yet to be charged
pending the report by the task force to Beaverhead County Attorney
Marv McCann. Their names were not released.

Martenson said the report is expected to be complete this week and he
expects charges to be filed next week. He added that the delay in
charges is common as agents must send the marijuana to a crime lab to
confirm that it's an illegal drug.

In addition, the scale of the operation added to the complexity of
processing the materials seized.

"We always send drug evidence to the crime lab," Martenson said. "We
have to process a huge amount of evidence in this case -- we had all
that different equipment that we had to pull, the grow lights and
timers." The home had a special venting system built into it, as well
as timers, special lights and other horticultural equipment. The
ventilation system was designed so the growing operation would remain
undetected from the outside.

Agents said in a press release that each plant could produce between
two to four ounces of marijuana buds, the portion of the plant that is
smoked because it has the highest level of THC. The street value of
the marijuana is estimated at between $76,000 and $153,600.

Martenson said his office is recommending the suspects each be charged
with criminal production or manufacture of dangerous drugs, a felony.
With more than 30 plants involved, the suspects face two years to life
in prison, plus a $50,000 fine.

The investigation of the operation had taken place over a three-month
period.