MARIJUANA HARVEST CONFISCATED

HILLSBOROUGH -- Somewhere in North Carolina, some very enterprising
marijuana enthusiasts just suffered a major buzz kill.

On Friday, the Orange County Sheriff's Office announced the seizure of
1,197 marijuana plants spread across four plots in the northern part
of the county. The operation was conducted in conjunction with a
National Guard helicopter unit, which directed investigators to the
plants.

The helicopter unit, based at Raleigh-Durham International Airport,
flew over the county and spotted the marijuana growing in suspected
areas. Sheriff's investigators were then alerted during the operation,
which took place on Thursday afternoon.

Sheriff's Office Investigator Randy Hawkins said that based on a
standard set by the federal Drug Enforcement Agency that appraises
each plant at $1,000, the sheriff's office estimates the Thursday
marijuana haul is worth more than $1 million.

Hawkins said he could remember only one other marijuana harvest -- in
the same part of Orange County -- of more than 1,000 plants.

The aerial operation is "common all over the state," Hawkins said of
this type of crackdown. "It's done once a year, but no, that amount is
not common."

Officers gathered the marijuana plants by pulling them from the ground
or cutting them. Hawkins said it only took a couple of hours to
"eradicate" the plants. The plants are being kept by the sheriff's
office as evidence.

No charges have been filed yet in the seizures and the sheriff's
office said the investigation is continuing.