3,000 POT PLANTS DESTROYED IN WAYNE SO FAR

WAYNE -- More than 3,000 marijuana plants have been eradicated in
Wayne County by state troopers so far this month, State Police Sgt.
Mike Watts said Tuesday.

The harvest of the illegal plants is down from last year when
troopers found and destroyed about 10,000 plants in Wayne County,
Watts said.

"We find marijuana cultivation is cyclical," he said. "Usually, a big
year is followed by a down year. We were scheduled for a down year."

Wayne County led the state in marijuana plants eradicated in 2000, he said.

About 15 to 16 troopers, assisted by the National Guard, took part in
the eradication program in the county. The search for plants included
helicopter flights over sparsely populated areas south of Wayne,
coordinated with officers on the ground, Watts said.

The plants harvested over the past two weeks have been burned, Watts said.

"We're not finished yet," he said. "We will probably fly again. We
are getting more reports of places where marijuana is being grown,
and we're checking them out."

Some arrests are planned, and some charges will be brought before a
grand jury, he said. Cultivation of an illegal substance is a felony
under state law.

The eradication program involved troopers in the district that
includes Logan, Lincoln, Mingo, Cabell, Wayne and Mason counties.
About 14 to 15 arrests are expected in the six-county sweep, Watts
said.