News (Media Awareness Project) - US NC: Sampson Lawmen Uncover $27 Million Worth Of Marijuana |
| Title: | US NC: Sampson Lawmen Uncover $27 Million Worth Of Marijuana |
| Published On: | 2009-06-27 |
| Source: | Fayetteville Observer (NC) |
| Fetched On: | 2009-06-28 16:51:42 |
SAMPSON LAWMEN UNCOVER $27 MILLION WORTH OF MARIJUANA
CLINTON - Sampson County lawmen hit the marijuana jackpot Thursday,
seizing 11,000 plants with an estimated street value of $27 million.
It was one of the largest, if not the largest, such find ever in Sampson
County, Capt. Eric Pope of the Sheriff's Office said Friday.
"This was a well-established marijuana-growing operation," Sheriff Jimmy
Thornton said in a news release late Thursday.
The plants were discovered during an aerial search involving the Sheriff's
Office and the State Bureau of Investigation.
"Basically, the only way it could be found was from the air," Thornton
said. "There's no way you can just happen to wander upon it."
No one has been charged in the pot seizure. Investigators say it's hard to
make an arrest for several reasons.
Such elaborate setups are usually in remote areas without the owner's
knowledge.
Four marijuana fields were spotted off Wright's Bridge Road north of
Garland, the release said.
The sites were accessible only after the N.C. Forestry Service used a fire
plow to clear paths, the release said.
"Once investigators gained access to the growth sites, they discovered an
elaborate irrigation system that had been fashioned to drain water from a
nearby pond," the sheriff's release said.
"The pipes from the irrigation system were painted green to help
camouflage them from observation," the release said.
Huts and tents were discovered at the sites, and paths had been cleared
between the fields to provide a quick escape route.
The plants ranged in height from 3 to 5 feet.
No arrests have been made.
The sophisticated marijuana-growing operations are not new to the Cape
Fear region.
Harnett County lawmen found three similar setups near Broadway in June and
July 2008.
The finds resulted in the seizure of 70,000 marijuana plants with an
estimated street value of $168 million.
The operations are similar to larger setups found in the western United
States that have been linked to Mexican drug cartels, Harnett County
Sheriff Larry Rollins has said.
The fields in Sampson County were in an area that was heavily wooded and
had wetlands, Pope said.
CLINTON - Sampson County lawmen hit the marijuana jackpot Thursday,
seizing 11,000 plants with an estimated street value of $27 million.
It was one of the largest, if not the largest, such find ever in Sampson
County, Capt. Eric Pope of the Sheriff's Office said Friday.
"This was a well-established marijuana-growing operation," Sheriff Jimmy
Thornton said in a news release late Thursday.
The plants were discovered during an aerial search involving the Sheriff's
Office and the State Bureau of Investigation.
"Basically, the only way it could be found was from the air," Thornton
said. "There's no way you can just happen to wander upon it."
No one has been charged in the pot seizure. Investigators say it's hard to
make an arrest for several reasons.
Such elaborate setups are usually in remote areas without the owner's
knowledge.
Four marijuana fields were spotted off Wright's Bridge Road north of
Garland, the release said.
The sites were accessible only after the N.C. Forestry Service used a fire
plow to clear paths, the release said.
"Once investigators gained access to the growth sites, they discovered an
elaborate irrigation system that had been fashioned to drain water from a
nearby pond," the sheriff's release said.
"The pipes from the irrigation system were painted green to help
camouflage them from observation," the release said.
Huts and tents were discovered at the sites, and paths had been cleared
between the fields to provide a quick escape route.
The plants ranged in height from 3 to 5 feet.
No arrests have been made.
The sophisticated marijuana-growing operations are not new to the Cape
Fear region.
Harnett County lawmen found three similar setups near Broadway in June and
July 2008.
The finds resulted in the seizure of 70,000 marijuana plants with an
estimated street value of $168 million.
The operations are similar to larger setups found in the western United
States that have been linked to Mexican drug cartels, Harnett County
Sheriff Larry Rollins has said.
The fields in Sampson County were in an area that was heavily wooded and
had wetlands, Pope said.
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