STATEWIDE MARIJUANA OPERATION NETS 8,000 PLANTS WORTH $8M

Law enforcement officials uprooted more than 8,000 marijuana plants
valued at more than $8 million in a 10-day statewide operation that
ended yesterday on Kaua'i.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, police officers from four
counties, Hawai'i Air National Guard, Coast Guard and state Department
of Land & Natural Resources conducted the annual "Super Mission"
operation, formerly known as "Green Harvest."

The sweep began last Tuesday on the Big Island, moved to Maui and
Moloka'i over the weekend, O'ahu on Monday and Tuesday, and finished
up on Kaua'i Wednesday and yesterday.

Narcotics/Vice Capt. Kerry Inouye of the Honolulu Police Department
said 584 marijuana plants weighing 161 pounds were removed from
various O'ahu sites. The plants ranged in size from seedlings to 4
feet, according to Inouye.

Based on the street value of $1,000 per plant, the haul on O'ahu was
worth an estimated $584,000, Inouye said.

DEA officials declined yesterday to release a tally count on this
year's operation; The Advertiser obtained totals from all but Maui
County.

The largest haul came last week on the Big Island, although only
figures from the East Hawai'i operation were immediately available.

The task force removed 6,298 marijuana plants last Tuesday and
Wednesday in a sweep in East Hawai'i from Hamakua to Puna, officials
said.

The two-day effort on Kaua'i yielded 1,060 plants, said Narcotics/Vice
Lt. Michael Contrades.

"We're pleased the operation was very successful," Contrades said in a
county news release yesterday.