MCDOWELL MARIJUANA HAUL WORTH $1.6 MILLION

WELCH -- A three-day marijuana eradication campaign in McDowell County
has netted more than 800 plants with an estimated street value of
approximately $1.6 million, officials said Friday.

The marijuana plants were located by ground and air in several remote,
mountainous locations across the county, Trooper S.A. Murphy, of the
West Virginia State Police Welch Detachment, said.

Murphy said the marijuana plants were found in different areas,
including Maybeury, Valls Creek, Northfork Hollow, the Big Creek
District, and other remote locations across the county.

"Some of them were in very remote mountainous areas," Murphy said.
"They ranged anywhere from 3-feet tall to 7-to-8-feet tall. They were
all desolate areas."

No arrests were immediately reported Friday in connection with the
discovery of the plants.

"We are accepting any tips on who may have been growing them," Murphy
said. "If anybody has any drug tips, or knows of anybody growing them,
they can give the Welch detachment a call. We will take any type of
tips we can get."

Murphy said a West Virginia Army National Guard helicopter was used
for the marijuana search.

"The search was pretty much done by air, and then the ground crew went
in to recover them," Murphy said. "We were assisted by the Princeton
Detachment (of the West Virginia State Police), the West Virginia Army
National Guard, and the McDowell County Sheriff's Department.

Murphy said all of the plants discovered in the three-day campaign
have been destroyed.

"Every plant you take off the road -- that is one more not out there,"
Murphy said.

Murphy said anyone with information about who may have planted the
marijuana plants, or with information about illegal drug activity in
their community, is asked to call the state police detachment in Welch
at 436-2101.