Pubdate: Tue, 30 Apr 2002 Source: Pensacola News Journal (FL) Copyright: 2002 The Pensacola News Journal Contact: http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1675 Author: Alan Gomez PILOT PATROL PULLS EVIL WEED Santa Rosa Second In State For Marijuana Eradication Santa Rosa County long has been considered a paradise for pot cultivators. But thanks to a deputy with a sharp eye and a small Cessna, that may not be the case much longer. Deputy Craig Stalcup flew six days a week throughout the summer and helped locate and eradicate 2,101 marijuana plants last year. That number placed the county in the state behind only Miami-Dade County, according to a report released this month by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. In Escambia County, deputies seized only 63 plants, ranking the county 48th in the state. But with two new helicopters and a recommitment to the marijuana eradication program, the Sheriff's Office expects to see those numbers rise this year. The combined efforts in the two-county area could result in a record year for pot busts and a tough time for pot growers. "This is a big area that is mostly rural, so it's kind of like a big playground for growers," Stalcup said. "With one year of experience - learning to locate the plants - under my belt and an earlier start this year, I'm expecting another big summer." Santa Rosa Sheriff Wendell Hall made the marijuana eradication program a top priority when he took office last year. He assigned Stalcup, a licensed pilot, to fly a single-engine Cessna throughout the county and spot marijuana plots. The result was a 251 percent increase from the previous year. "Because we're so rural, it's been there throughout our history. So when I took office, I thought that was one of the main laws we really had to enforce," Hall said. "Come to find out we had a pilot driving around in a squad car. So we trained him through the FDLE, and we're happy with what he's accomplished." Stalcup spent most of the summer flying seven hours a day, six days a week. He flies the Cessna slow and low - about 65 knots and 500 feet up - so he can locate the fields and circle lower to make sure it's marijuana. He then calls in deputies to clear the field. In Escambia County, deputies are figuring out how to use the two new helicopters in their search for marijuana. The aircraft will be used for traffic control and chasing fugitives, but Sgt. Ricky Shelby, assistant officer in charge of narcotics, said deputies will spend plenty of time looking for marijuana. "Before, we had to wait for other agencies to lend us their equipment," he said. "But now that we have our own air wing, we intend to see those numbers go way up." Few areas south of Interstate 10 are wide open enough to hide marijuana crops, so Shelby said officers' efforts will concentrate on the more rural north end of the county and selected spots further south. "I'm not going to get into specifics of where we're going to be looking," Shelby said. "But they know we've got the helicopters, and we don't mind them knowing." Despite their best efforts, finding marijuana is still a hard task. Northwest Florida is prime real estate for growing illegal crops. With thousands of acres of undeveloped land, growers can plant their seeds and return during harvest with only minimal maintenance - the area's heat and humidity are perfect for the plant. Growers also have learned from their mistakes. Before the age of aerial surveillance, they grew marijuana in large, continuous patches. They've learned to grow smaller plots or spread them out, making the plants harder to spot. Large government tracts, such as Blackwater River State Forest and the Eglin Air Force Base reservation, provide growing areas with little chance of identifying the culprits. That is what deputies in both counties say is the most frustrating part. Santa Rosa's only marijuana cultivation arrest last year came when deputies found a water hose near a plot of marijuana and traced it back to a house. Most growers are more careful than that. "The growers are hard to get," Hall said. "It would be nice if we had the manpower to stake the plot out for many days and nights, but we don't. We're just pleased we're destroying the plants and making sure they never reach the streets." - --- MAP posted-by: SHeath(DPFFlorida)