Pubdate: Wed, 12 Sep 2001
Source: Herald-Palladium, The (MI)
Copyright: 2001 The Herald-Palladium
Contact:  http://www.heraldpalladium.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1378
Author: Scott Aiken, H-P Staff Writer

TIPS, HELICOPTER FLIGHTS LEAD LAWMEN TO RECORD HAUL OF MARIJUANA PLANTS

Law enforcement agencies working in an anti-drug operation in Berrien 
County last week confiscated 1,900 growing marijuana plants, described as a 
record haul for the area.

The plants, spotted from a helicopter in fields and small patches, were 
mature and nearly ready for harvest, said Lt. Keith Hafer, commander of the 
Berrien County Sheriff's Narcotics Unit.

The plants were found in several locations, including one field where 1,485 
plants were seized.

The effort was part of Operation HEMP, which aims to find and destroy 
growing marijuana. Sheriff's officers work with the state police, National 
Guard and Coast Guard in the search operation.

Hafer said the plants were spotted in plain view by officers in a state 
police helicopter. Other patches were found as the result of citizen tips. 
The targeted area was in the south Berrien County townships of Niles, 
Buchanan, Bertrand, Three Oaks and Galien.

Police spent much of Thursday uprooting and removing the plants, some of 
them more than 6 feet tall.

The plants, which filled the back of a pickup truck and a trailer, were 
destroyed by burning Monday. No arrests were made, but an investigation is 
continuing. Hafer said each cultivated plant, when processed, yields a half 
pound of finished marijuana. He estimated the street value of the 
marijuana, when processed, would be $1.14 million.

"We're using conservative numbers," Hafer said. "It can be anywhere from 
$1,000 to $2,500."

The plants are started in potting soil in a net material and cultivated, 
Hafer said. Speaking of the site where the 1,485 plants were found, Hafer 
said, "The pilot said that was the largest single plot he's seen in the state."

The plants seized last week were a record volume for the area, he added. 
Illicit pot growers sometimes try to camouflage the plants by interspersing 
them with corn. At other places the marijuana is planted in small patches.

Operation HEMP, an acronym for Help Eliminate Marijuana Plants, is a 
cooperative statewide effort. Sheriff's Sgt. Dan Jewell coordinated last 
week's work, Hafer said.
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