cannabisnews.com: Drought Ally of Pot Raiders





Drought Ally of Pot Raiders
Posted by FoM on September 03, 1999 at 11:20:49 PT
By David Wecker, Post staff reporter
Source: The Kentucky Post
Police efforts to harvest this year's marijuana crop before the growers do are in full swing in the forested hollows of eastern Kentucky and the cornfields of southeastern Ohio.
Law enforcement agencies in both states are finding the drought of '99 is making their job easier.''The drought has been beneficial for us,'' said Kentucky State Police Lt. Shelby Lawson, coordinator of the governor's marijuana strike force.''When it's raining, it grounds our helicopters and planes. So the lack of rain has given us more days in the air, which is primarily how we're able to find the plants.''On top of that, the plants themselves are doing just fine, while the stuff all around them is dying - which makes them stand out that much more.''Lawson's figures - which represent the efforts of the Kentucky State Police, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, the Kentucky National Guard, the U.S. Forest Service and local police and sheriff's departments - show that 399,025 marijuana plants have been confiscated in the commonwealth so far this year. A mature plant can generate a pound of marijuana.That's 140,945 plants ahead of last year's pace. Shelby adds that the figure doesn't mean more marijuana is being grown, only that more has been confiscated - thanks at least in part to the drought.Using a DEA formula for calculating street value - based on $2,000 per pound for marijuana grown outdoors, up to $2,500 per pound for plants cultivated indoors and other factors - Lawson said the plants confiscated in Kentucky so far this year have a street value of $1.04 billion.In 1993, when more Kentucky marijuana was seized than in any other year, some $2 billion worth was taken, compared to a burley tobacco crop that same year of $800 million.In Ohio, 15,000 plants have been taken from growers since the end of June. That's about 200 plants ahead of what was taken last year at this time. Ted Almay, superintendent for the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, expects up to 50,000 plants to be confiscated by year's end. Ohio received a $220,000 DEA grant this year for curbing marijuana cultivation - compared to $682,000 that the DEA channeled to Kentucky.In Whitley County in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky, the sheriff's department operates its own Bell Jet Ranger helicopter, specifically for ferreting out marijuana patches.''A good quarter of our county is the Daniel Boone National Forest,'' said Sheriff's Sgt. Ed Sizemore, the helicopter's pilot.''And almost all of the terrain here is rough. About the only way you can cover it is from the air. You can't expect to walk it.''While Kentucky consistently ranks among the top five marijuana producers in the nation, Ohio is home to an especially high quality drug.Some of the world's most potent marijuana is said to be grown in southeastern Ohio, around Meigs, Jackson and Vinton counties, according to sheriffs in all three counties.From there, it's shipped to large cities, where it can bring up to $4,500 a pound, they say.At the same time, marijuana growers have become increasingly sophisticated, using genetic engineering, cross-breeding and hydroponics to raise their crops.''Cloning seems to be the big thing now,'' said Jackson County Sheriff Greg Kiefer.''Each year, the best pot gets a little bit better. But you don't need a degree in horticulture to grow strong pot. This is information you can get on the Internet. There are magazines and mail order catalogs that will ship seeds to your door,'' he said.In the 1980s, growers began moving their operations indoors to avoid detection. Law enforcement agencies countered by using infrared technology and monitoring utility usage to spot the indoor farmers. More recently, the growers have begun moving underground.''You'll hear about them burying a house trailer or a school bus,'' Kiefer said.''Or you can put 50 plants inside a small refrigerated delivery truck and, at today's prices, you can live off that all year.''Growers who continue to cultivate their plants outdoors are putting in smaller plots, but more of them.''We used to find 500 plants in one plot,'' said Vinton County Sheriff Donald Peters.''If we get a plot with 40 or 50 plants now, that's a big one. We used to need a dump truck from the county garage to haul it all. Now, we go out with a pickup truck and that does it,'' Peters said.In any case, ''domestic'' no longer carries the stigma it once did, especially where marijuana is concerned.''There was a time when, if it didn't come from Mexico, you didn't want it,'' says Jackson County's Kiefer.''Nowadays, that stuff that comes out of Mexico is trash. The growers around here, all they're interested in are the budding parts of the plant. They give the leaves to their laborers, the people who come in and strip their plants and get it ready for shipping.''Publication date: 09-03-99 
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Post Comment


Name: Optional Password: 
E-Mail: 
Subject: 
Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message]
Link URL: 
Link Title: