ANOTHER BIG POT FIELD FOUND

The Harnett County Sheriff's Office has busted another marijuana
growing operation.

The marijuana field, with an estimated 5,000 plants, was found on
Cool Springs Road off U.S. 421 west of Lillington within three miles
of a 50,000-plant grow operation discovered last month, also on Cool
Springs Road.

According to standard estimates of $2,400 each, the plants have a
potential street value of $12 million.

Harnett County Sheriff Larry Rollins said his deputies had been
working the case for a considerable time, but would not specify how long.

"This has been an ongoing investigation," Sheriff Rollins said.
"We've had it under observation for quite some time.

"We found campsites, we saw where they've been living in there with
food and water and tents," he said. "Unfortunately, we haven't had
anybody come in (the field)."

Sheriff Rollins said the field was discovered shortly after the
larger bust, this time by Aerial Reconnaissance Inc., a private
company out of the Charlotte area.

Though his office routinely utilizes Highway Patrol and National
Guard helicopters to search for marijuana fields, Sheriff Rollins
said they are not available nearly often enough.

The Charlotte company was able to cover the entire county for $3,000.

"I was concerned as to whether we had any more operations because
we've got so many rural and desolate areas still in Harnett County,"
Sheriff Rollins said. "That's why I decided it would be worth our
efforts to get this private firm in here to do our entire county."

Sheriff Rollins said it is possible this operation is connected to
the earlier bust.

"It's very similar to that other operation. It could even be some of
the same people," he said. "Again, it appears to be the Mexican-type
operation. We found bags and bags of tortillas at this one and other
items that suggests that."

While his men had staked out the area in an attempt to arrest the
operators, Sheriff Rollins said the fact that no one came into the
field is not surprising.

A 40-year veteran narcotics deputy, Sheriff Rollins said more often
than not, operators go uncaught.

The investigation, he said could have been compromised in any number
of ways, from the operators noticing the aerial reconnaissance to
small traps set up that indicate someone has been that way.

"It's as simple as taking a piece of thread and tying it across a
path .. fallen twigs can be set," Sheriff Rollins said. "There's a
lot of methods, a lot of ways and you'll never know yourself that
you've set them off sometimes.

"The main point on this one is I want the public to know the fact
that we have put a concerted effort in attempting to apprehend these
guys," he said.

The sheriff said the plants would be destroyed today; he did not elaborate.