Plainsman1963

Police seize 900 marijuana plants in ‘Operation Hemp
07-19-06 | SturgisJournal.Com | Corky Emrick

Local marijuana growers may be disappointed when they tend to their crops this year.

Monday members of the St. Joseph County Area Narcotics Unit, St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department, Michigan State Police and the U.S. Army reserves launched “Operation Hemp.”

The two-day probe yielded 891 marijuana plants. The plants have a value of just under $900,000, according to the DEA, which sets a value of $1,000 per plant.

“Any time we interrupt the drug trafficking in St. Joseph County, it is a success,” SCAN investigator Dave Alli said.

Beginning Monday morning at the Three Rivers Airport, two teams of up to four officers were guided into corn fields by spotters in U.S. Army reserve choppers.

During their search a large “grow” was found in Colon Township, where 206 plants were found.

The plants ranged from three feet to six feet tall, and police said most still had potting soil around their roots.

Beginning early in the farming season, marijuana growers take small plants and replant them in corn fields.

They pull up corn in small patches or rows and put the marijuana plants in their place.

This is typically done in the middle of the fields, where they aren’t visible from the road.

But from the air, marijuana plants are clearly visible and officers are guided to their location.

During Tuesday’s search, several patches were found near Colon and a large group of plants were found in White Pigeon.

Those plants were up to eight feet tall.

The plants were then taken to a location and burnt. Typically authorities wait until later in the season before looking for these plants.

Police said that every year they are finding more and more marijuana in these fields.

Police said farmers who notice anything suspicious in their fields may call narcotics investigators at 467-9045 ext. 245.

Police are continuing their investigation into the growing operations.

Buzzby

It is estimated that, at best, interdiction efforts stop 10% of the drug traffic. As long as a weed is going for $1,000 per plant (if that is to be believed), someone is going to grow it. The loss of 10% is simply part of the cost of doing business. Prohibition insures that the price will stay high enough to keep entrepreneurs growing/smuggling/dealing it.

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