OFFICERS TAKE TO THE SKIES IN AN AERIAL DRUG SEARCH WITH THE GUARD

Morganton - Local Drug Officers got a little help from the National Guard
with an aerial drug search on Tuesday.

National Guard helicopters flew in from the Raleigh picked up members of
the Burke County Narcotics Task Force and flew over Burke terrain Tuesday
morning in search of marijuana.

About five minutes after the helicopters took off from the Morganton-Lenoir
Airport, officers spotted plants in a small patch near N.C. 18 North
toward Lenoir.

Once they spotted the illegal crops they notified officers on the ground,
by radio, of the location said Lt. Alex Cobb, of the Burke County Task Force.

Officers found four marijuana plants.

Cobb said an investigation of who grew the marijuana is still ongoing and
they are talking to several suspects.

Cobb said he hopes they can do another search before the end of the summer.

Cobb said that he thinks crops are smaller this year because of the cooler
weather. Cobb said, the National Guard searched areas that they typically
find narcotics and found nothing. He feels that growers are moving to newer
places.

The National Guard called off the search at 2 p.m. because of time
constraints. The operation also involved the SBI and the Morganton
Department of Public Safety.

This is the third flight conducted this year. To contact the Burke County
Narcotics Task Force call 430-4221.