Pubdate: Sat, 03 Aug 2002
Source: Parkersburg News, The (WV)
Copyright: 2002, The Parkersburg News
Contact:  http://www.newsandsentinel.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1648
Author: ROGER ADKINS

SEIZURES OF POT IN AREA INCREASE

Area law enforcement agencies have taken to the sky once again to find and 
eradicate marijuana crops.

In Ohio, the Meigs County Sheriff's Office last week found from 2,100-2,200 
plants and made two arrests, said Deputy Rick Smith. That number of plants 
is large considering it still is early in the growing season, Smith said. 
Deputies found plants ranging from two feet tall to 12-14 feet tall, Smith 
said. The larger plants had started to bud, he said. The approximate street 
value for a mature plant is $1,500.

Smith said there is a great deal of marijuana growth in Meigs County 
because of its rural location. Deputies said they expect to find many 
plants this year.

Deputies divided the county into two parts, the eastern portion and the 
western portion. Crews covered both areas in their search, Smith said. They 
searched Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday using helicopters and ground crews.

The West Virginia State Police has confiscated five crops this season, said 
1st Sgt. B.D. Adkins, district commander. The local district covers Wood, 
Wirt, Pleasants and Ritchie counties.

Troopers recently found a crop of 25 plants in the Wadesville area of Wood 
County, Adkins said.

The largest find this year was in Ritchie County, which has the local 
record for the largest crop found in recent years, officials said. Last 
year, law enforcement officers found a crop of 5,000 plants in Ritchie County.

This year, troopers found 71 plants in the Auburn area of Ritchie County, 
Adkins said. Other crops in Ritchie County yielded 67 plants in one spot 
and 51 plants in another on Leather Bark Road.

The smallest crop was a single plant troopers found growing in the yard of 
a St. Marys residence, Adkins said.

In their searches, troopers found plants that were seven feet tall. Mature 
plants can grow to 14 feet, police said.

No marijuana arrests have been made this year in West Virginia, but some 
are pending, Adkins said.

Wood County Sheriff Stephen Greiner said the presence of marijuana growers 
in Wood County is not as apparent as it was a few years ago.

The sheriff's department uses its helicopter in aerial searches, but 
deputies have yet to find a substantial crop this year, Greiner said.

"We got one plant the other day," Greiner said. "We've flown three or four 
times so far. We used to get a lot, but it's slacked off in the last couple 
of years."

Methamphetamine is the prime target for eradication in Wood County, Greiner 
said. "With meth labs, you hear stories every day," he said.

Mid-Ohio Valley residents can help their law enforcement agencies in the 
marijuana eradication process by being vigilant and reporting suspicious 
activity in rural areas, Adkins said. Residents who own land and spend time 
in the woods and fields in the area can learn to identify the signs 
marijuana growers leave behind.

"They may see tracks or paths where vehicles or people have gone into the 
woods," Adkins said. "There may be areas that have been cleared to allow 
the sunlight in."

Residents may see chicken wire around plant beds, he said. Buckets or pots 
used to start the plants also may be in the area of a crop.

Growers often plant their crops on property that does not belong to them, 
Adkins said. However, they also have been known to plant marijuana on their 
own property in secluded areas, he said.

Marijuana growers sometimes grow the plants in their gardens among the 
other crops, he said.

Some growers even grow their crops indoors, but those can be found using 
infrared vision, Adkins said. Buildings in which the plants are grown are 
significantly hotter because the growers use heat lamps and other lighting, 
he said.

Many growers install traps around their crops to protect them. Residents 
should be cautious if they stumble upon a marijuana patch, officials said.

Marijuana eradication is not done with helicopters alone, Adkins said. 
Often the helicopter cannot land in areas where the crops grow. Ground 
crews must hike to the area over which the helicopter hovers.

"Sometimes the terrain isn't in your favor," Adkins said. "The helicopter 
hovers and ground crews have to find the spot. A lot of times it's 
difficult to get to."

Officers yank the plants from their beds, haul them to headquarters in 
trucks, collect samples for evidence and burn the rest with diesel fuel or 
other accelerants, Adkins said.
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