News (Media Awareness Project) - US IL: McHenry Sheriff Eradicates Another Million-Dollar |
| Title: | US IL: McHenry Sheriff Eradicates Another Million-Dollar |
| Published On: | 2008-08-27 |
| Source: | Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-09-02 23:29:45 |
MCHENRY SHERIFF ERADICATES ANOTHER MILLION-DOLLAR MARIJUANA OPERATION
For the third time in less than a month, McHenry County Sheriff's
police Wednesday eradicated a huge marijuana-growing operation,
destroying an estimated $1.2 million in cannabis crops found in a
rural area near the Wisconsin border.
Sheriff's deputies, working alongside agents from the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Administration, descended on a wooded area northeast of
Harvard this morning and discovered about 1,200 cannabis plants over
an area less than five acres.
"We're aggressively looking for grow sites, both on foot and in the
air," Sheriff Keith Nygren said. "We know from experience that
growers are looking for rural, somewhat desolate areas and we have a
number of places like that in McHenry County."
The find comes about four weeks after deputies uncovered about 3,800
plants - valued at as much as $4 million - in two locations near Hebron.
As was the case then, Wednesday's raid also uncovered a campsite amid
the growing operation where it appears caretakers lived and tended to
the crops. Nobody was arrested as a result of Wednesday's raid,
though investigators are reviewing evidence found at the scene to
track down those responsible for the operation, Nygren said.
In all three cases, the growing operation was in a concealed, wooded
area, rather than open farmland as had been more common in recent years.
"We're finding more and more often they're going into the woods
because they know we're looking for them from the air," Nygren said.
The operation was located on private property owned by an
out-of-state resident who was unaware of the situation, Nygren said.
Sheriff's Lt. Andrew Zinke said growing operations like the ones
found in the past month are becoming more common as drug traffickers
decide it is less expensive and easier to grow marijuana locally than
in Mexico and then ship it across the United States.
"We're going to keep finding these grows, we're going to ruin these
people's business and we're going to drive them out of the county," Zinke said.
For the third time in less than a month, McHenry County Sheriff's
police Wednesday eradicated a huge marijuana-growing operation,
destroying an estimated $1.2 million in cannabis crops found in a
rural area near the Wisconsin border.
Sheriff's deputies, working alongside agents from the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Administration, descended on a wooded area northeast of
Harvard this morning and discovered about 1,200 cannabis plants over
an area less than five acres.
"We're aggressively looking for grow sites, both on foot and in the
air," Sheriff Keith Nygren said. "We know from experience that
growers are looking for rural, somewhat desolate areas and we have a
number of places like that in McHenry County."
The find comes about four weeks after deputies uncovered about 3,800
plants - valued at as much as $4 million - in two locations near Hebron.
As was the case then, Wednesday's raid also uncovered a campsite amid
the growing operation where it appears caretakers lived and tended to
the crops. Nobody was arrested as a result of Wednesday's raid,
though investigators are reviewing evidence found at the scene to
track down those responsible for the operation, Nygren said.
In all three cases, the growing operation was in a concealed, wooded
area, rather than open farmland as had been more common in recent years.
"We're finding more and more often they're going into the woods
because they know we're looking for them from the air," Nygren said.
The operation was located on private property owned by an
out-of-state resident who was unaware of the situation, Nygren said.
Sheriff's Lt. Andrew Zinke said growing operations like the ones
found in the past month are becoming more common as drug traffickers
decide it is less expensive and easier to grow marijuana locally than
in Mexico and then ship it across the United States.
"We're going to keep finding these grows, we're going to ruin these
people's business and we're going to drive them out of the county," Zinke said.
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