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Pot farm seizures on rise locally
Recent discoveries lead to increased vigilance by area law enforcement officials
By Charles D. Perry · The Herald - Updated 08/20/06 - 12:35 AM

Special to The Herald
This trailer contains marijuana plants seized during an Aug. 4 raid in Lancaster County. South Carolina police have seized more than 34,500 plants this year. Nearly 23,000 of those plants came from Chester and Lancaster counties.On one hand, police have declared recent marijuana seizures in Chester and Lancaster counties key victories in their war against illegal drugs.
But on the other, these large-scale pot operations -- which some suspect have West Coast roots -- have caused concern because they're relatively new to the state.

Authorities say these plants were growing on farms tended by Hispanics living on someone else's land. Investigators have found campsites complete with food and gardening supplies. The sole arrest in all the raids was an illegal immigrant from Colombia charged after the first Chester County seizure, in which police netted around 6,500 plants.

South Carolina law enforcement haven't seen many of these large operations before this year, said Lt. John Bishop, midlands regional supervisor for the State Law Enforcement Division's vice narcotics unit.

"Is this going to be a trend? I don't know," Bishop said. "But it is something to be mindful of."

Locally, police say they've stepped up aerial surveillance. Awareness is high, especially because the growing season lasts for a few more months.

To get an idea of how much pot has been found in this area, consider this: Across the state, police have seized more than 34,500 plants this year. More than 28,000 of those plants came from Chester and Lancaster counties. Last year, there were 12,264 plants seized across the state.

This year has seen the highest number of eradicated plants since police netted 46,042 in 1992, said SLED spokeswoman Kathryn Richardson.

Authorities say the these large operations are much more organized and sophisticated than someone simply sticking a few plants in the ground. Those who front such operations scout out the land and carefully choose spots where they're not likely to be detected.

"There's a lot of thought that goes into that," said John Ozaluk, the agent in charge of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration offices in South Carolina. "You just don't show up one day and start planting the next."

When Lancaster authorities discovered more than 8,000 plants Aug. 4, they found evidence that indicated the growers were individually watering each plant. They also recovered more than 1,000 feet of garden hose and saw where the growers dug near drainage ditches to get water.

In an Aug. 7 seizure in Chester, investigators found more than 700 plants along with a campsite ringed by logs, a stove, cooking materials, a car battery for charging electronics and Hispanic food items.

As far as who buys the pot grown on these farms, Ozaluk said it would likely be sold in the state or in Charlotte, not packaged and sent somewhere else. He said that's because fresh marijuana will fetch a better price than some that's been transported over weeks. There's also no transportation costs. Those responsible for these operations want to make sure they get the most for their product, he said.

The greater sophistication also increases concern about weapons and officer safety when removing the plants, said Lt. Kelly Lovelace of the York County Multijurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit. With the kind of planning that goes into these farms, the people behind them will want to protect their investment, she said.

But why are these farms here of all places?

Although there's no way to know what's going on in a criminal's mind, authorities believe the rural nature of the area and the long growing season are part of it. Some say the farms have spread from the West Coast.

But things could change after the recent seizures. In the 10 years she's been finding and destroying marijuana, Lovelace said eradication rates have fluctuated. In 2003, York County had 10,000 marijuana seizures, more than all other state counties combined.

The years since that banner year, though, haven't yielded much pot.

"Which is good for us," Lovelace said. "That means we're doing our job."

Charles D. Perry · 329-4068 | cperry@heraldonline.com

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