Pubdate: Sun, 06 Aug 2006 Source: Charlotte Observer (NC) Copyright: 2006 The Charlotte Observer Contact: http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/78 Author: Ann Doss Helms Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Marijuana) $16 MILLION POT HAUL GOES UP IN SMOKE Officers Burn 8,000 Plants After Raid; No Arrests or Suspects More than $16 million worth of marijuana went to the animal shelter incinerator instead of the streets after drug agents raided eight irrigated fields in the woods of Lancaster County, S.C., Friday. Agents in a helicopter spotted the illicit crop near Cedar Creek Dam, about 50 miles south of Charlotte, around 3:30 p.m. Friday, after hours of fly-overs in the Wateree River area. The Lancaster County Sheriff's Office does air scans four or five times a year during the summer growing season, Lt. Lee Blackmon said. After four hours of sweaty labor Friday evening, sheriff's deputies and State Law Enforcement Division officers had 8,091 plants ready to burn, a county record. The pot farmers had cleared eight fields from forested ridges. The largest was more than an acre. Investigators are still researching ownership of the remote tract, but believe it's timber company land. Officers suspect six to 12 people farmed the illegal crop; there were no arrests or suspects Saturday, Blackmon said. The farmers had dug holes near natural drainage ditches, lined them with plastic and pumped the water through more than 1,000 feet of garden hose to water their crop, Blackmon said. A nearby campsite contained a bunk, table and food, with plant food, insecticides and fertilizer stashed around the fields. "(The farmers) were fairly energetic," Blackmon said. "They had to be. We about died pulling all the plants up." So why not hide in the woods and wait for farmers to return? Officers tried that after a 2002 raid in the same area, but gave up after three or four days, Blackmon said. They suspect someone nearby tips off growers when helicopters buzz the area. The campsite looked like it hadn't been visited for a few days, with sleeping bags dusty and cooking equipment showing no sign of recent use, he added. "It is more than likely a lost cause," he said. So officers harvested the crop and hauled it to the Lancaster County Animal Shelter incinerator. Even if no one is arrested, they figure they've put a dent in area pot-smoking, along with the farmers' profits. "This is a major victory in our fight against the drug trade in Lancaster County," said Lt. Paul Harrison, who heads the county's Drug Task Force. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake