2,000 MARIJUANA PLANTS DESTROYED

It was a hot week for local and state law enforcement personnel in more
ways than one as local agents searched and destroyed more than 2,000
marijuana plants in Cherokee County last week.

With an estimated of $2,000 per plant, some $4 million worth of marijuana
was eradicated in Cherokee County from this latest effort, $4 million which
will not hit the streets, that is!

The Marijuana Eradication Program is a joint effort of the Cherokee County
Drug Task Force, Alabama Bureau of Investigation, and the National Guard.
Teams searched on the ground and from the air, using a Global Positioning
Satellite to target areas of large marijuana stands, according to reports.

The eradication effort began Monday, July 15, said Cherokee County
Narcotics Agent Joe Hester, when agents acted on a tip and seized 1,267
plants in the Sandy Creek Community. On Thursday, agents seized
approximately 300 plants and seedlings in the same area. On Friday, July
19, agents found a stand of about 50 plants near Highway 9, approximately
three miles west of the Alabama/Georgia State Line. Later that day agents
discovered more than 500 plants in the Spring Garden area.

ABI agents, using one of the state helicopters, detected many of the plants
from the air, reports said.

More than 200 plants were discovered in one area and in another area, more
than 100 cups of seedlings were discovered which were already 3 to 4 inches
tall. These plants were to be set out in the wooded area. On the other
hand, some of the plants were found in fields, ranging from three inches to
eight feet tall. Some of the plants had been harvested, according to reports.

Other eradication programs were ongoing in Cleburne County and Etowah
County last week. Plants were harvested in the Hokes Bluff and Gadsden
areas, reports said. Alabama total for the three-day eradication program in
Alabama came to more than $16 million, reports said.

Agents, reports said, used machetes to cut a trail through thick brush,
small trees and briars. A rough trek to the bottom of a steep gorge was the
only way to get to a crop of marijuana planted at least 50 yards below. In
90-degree-plus weather, they wore gloves, carried water packs on their
backs, camouflage knee boots to protect against snakes and plenty of insect
repellent. Cherokee County Drug Task Force commander Joe Hester and agent
Jimmy Wallace followed the directions of the helicopter pilot circling above.

The brush was thick, reports said, and the agents were not able to see the
plants until the pilot had directed them to within a few feet of the plot.
It took only a few seconds to chop down approximately 30 plants and the
agents began the climb to the top of the gorge. The agents used a Global
Positioning System to match with coordinates given by the pilot, who guided
them from the main highway, along a dirt road to a small trail up the side
of the mountain.

Cherokee County got an early start on Monday, on an unscheduled day of
eradication, when a tip led to the discovery of 1,265 plants, Hester said.
Cherokee County led the state for several years in the number of plants
found, but fell in the last few years to second after Cleburne County,
according to Hester. Both counties have many rural miles, which authorities
believe leads to a larger number of illegal plants.

More than 10,400 plants were found in Cherokee County in 1999, Hester said.
That same year, 437 were found in Etowah County, 3,716 were found in
DeKalb, 633 were found in Marshall and 1207 were found in Calhoun County,
Hester said.

This year the numbers seem to be rising again, something Hester attributes
to the tightened security at the borders since Sept. 11. "We're seeing more
meth labs and more people are growing their own marijuana," Hester said.
Currently, agents are working with local fire departments and schools to
educate them about the dangers of methamphetamine, Hester said.

Hester said tips and information received from citizens in the community
were a tremendous help in this latest successful eradication program. The
Task Force urges all citizens who discover suspicious plants or activity to
report them to local authorities.