Pubdate: Wed, 29 Aug 2001 Source: Herald-Dispatch, The (WV) Copyright: 2001 The Herald-Dispatch Contact: http://www.herald-dispatch.com/hdinfo/letters.html Website: http://www.hdonline.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1454 Author: Tim R Massey Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis) 3,000 POT PLANTS DESTROYED IN WAYNE SO FAR WAYNE -- More than 3,000 marijuana plants have been eradicated in Wayne County by state troopers so far this month, State Police Sgt. Mike Watts said Tuesday. The harvest of the illegal plants is down from last year when troopers found and destroyed about 10,000 plants in Wayne County, Watts said. "We find marijuana cultivation is cyclical," he said. "Usually, a big year is followed by a down year. We were scheduled for a down year." Wayne County led the state in marijuana plants eradicated in 2000, he said. About 15 to 16 troopers, assisted by the National Guard, took part in the eradication program in the county. The search for plants included helicopter flights over sparsely populated areas south of Wayne, coordinated with officers on the ground, Watts said. The plants harvested over the past two weeks have been burned, Watts said. "We're not finished yet," he said. "We will probably fly again. We are getting more reports of places where marijuana is being grown, and we're checking them out." Some arrests are planned, and some charges will be brought before a grand jury, he said. Cultivation of an illegal substance is a felony under state law. The eradication program involved troopers in the district that includes Logan, Lincoln, Mingo, Cabell, Wayne and Mason counties. About 14 to 15 arrests are expected in the six-county sweep, Watts said. - --- MAP posted-by: Josh