POSTED: Friday, August 31, 2012 – 9:59am
Nicole Underwood Assistant News Director/ KETK News
CHEROKEE COUNTY — Marijuana plants up to 8 feet tall have been found within four patches of plants near the Angelina River, in eastern Cherokee County.
The plants were found on Thursday, August 30th.
Cherokee County investigators, DPS narcotics officers, DEA agents and the Texas National Guard participated in the search for the fields.
During the morning and early afternoon, two helicopter crews flew over heavily wooded areas searching for the fields.
The investigation is part of the Domestic Marijuana Eradication Program, or DME, which is dedicated to the eradication of domestically grown marijuana.
Around 2:45pm on Thursday, helicopter crews spotted a possible marijuana site near the Angelina River, about 1.5 miles south of FM 343, on the eastern border of Cherokee County.
Ground crews were alerted to the patch, and investigated the area.
They found a very large marijuana grow operation, which included several patches.
The plants ranged in size from 1 to 8 feet tall.
The site had an irrigation system and generators, which pumped water from the river. There was also a fully equipped camp site, where the workers lived to cultivate the plants.
Officials also found firearms and ammunition stashed around the marijuana patches and the camp site.
Nobody was found on the site at the time, but investigators tell KETK there were indications that workers were present when the helicopter conducted the sweep.
As of Friday morning at 7:30am, only one of the four marijuana patches had been removed by investigators.
The first patch contained 7,500 marijuana plants.
The total yield from all patches is expected to be up to 20,000 plants.
KETK will provide more details as soon as they are released.
Information from Cherokee County Sheriffs Office
Source: KETKNBC
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