Third marijuana farm found, destroyed

BY MARY JANE FARMER

HERALD DEMOCRAT

With the discovery of a marijuana crop found in Grayson County, Sheriff's Office investigators now believe that portions of the county's wooded acreage has been utilized by Mexican drug cartels as fertile breeding grounds for the illegal drug.

Friday's discovery of about 720 marijuana plants, mostly about 15 feet tall, is the third of such growing operations discovered and destroyed by law enforcement within the past month.

Grayson County S.O. Sgt. Rickey Wheeler said that although this most recent marijuana farm is believed to be the work of Mexican cartels, the first two were not similarly involved.

Friday, after several weeks of surveillance by the Sheriff's Office and the Texas Department of Public Safety, officers went onto the land and destroyed the many plants, plus the irrigation system they found, Wheeler said

"This particular grow has been under surveillance with the use of cameras for several weeks, not to mention many hours of manpower used during observation," Wheeler said. "It is believed that the marijuana grow is related to a Mexican cartel operating numerous grows in the Texoma area. The Grayson County Sheriff's Office and the Department of Public Safety believe that several arrests will be made in this case."

Wheeler described the scene as being on private property about one-half mile off Quail Run road, southwest of Whitesboro, and the plants sown to blend in with or hide behind natural foliage. The irrigation system ran throughout the crop from a nearby pond. He said that the property owner was apparently unaware of the marijuana farm on his land and is not a suspect in the case.

The plants ranged in height from 6 feet to 15 feet, each plant covered in numerous "buds," which Wheeler said is the part of the plant grower's want, and would have yielded between 1 and 2 pounds per plant.

"This particular marijuana crop could have yielded about 1,140 pounds of quality marijuana with a street value exceeding $800,000," Wheeler said.

A search of the Internet revealed that similar marijuana farms have been discovered within the past two years in California, where national parks have become breeding grounds for marijuana crops, also believed to have been cultivated by Mexican cartels. Other farms were found in Oregon and Utah. Closer to home, the Fort Worth Star Telegram reported, tens of thousands of plants were found and destroyed in Ellis County, south of Fort Worth, and the indications there also led law enforcement to connect them with Mexican cartel activity.

Fannin County Sheriff Kenneth Moore and Collin County S.O. Lt. John Norton said they have not found any indications in those counties of similar marijuana farms.

"The Mexican cartels are very violent groups who will protect their crops at all cost. They have been known to place armed guards around the grow sites and to set up deadly booby traps in and around the marijuana fields, which makes these areas very dangerous for local hunters, hikers and nature lovers who like to go out and explore," Wheeler said. Whether those measures were that extreme in this case have yet to be disclosed.

"This is why the Grayson County Sheriff's Office along with the Department of Public Safety and the Drug Enforcement Administration has had numerous helicopter flyovers this past summer," Wheeler said. "Some members of the public criticized the operation in its early stages, stating that it was a waste of time, tax dollars, and an invasion of their privacy. But, now, those few select members of the public should understand that these types of operations are necessary to protect the people of Grayson County.

"These cartels are known for extreme violence along the U.S. and Mexico borders and those cartels are slowly moving into our area," he said. "We here at the Sheriff's Office are dedicated to working around the clock to protect the citizens of Grayson County and the citizens of the Texoma area no matter what the cost."

Wheeler said that those who own large parcels of property need to be sure the locks on their gates are secured and to look in the areas for fresh tracks and other signs that someone has been on the property. Property owners should look around for irrigation lines, water hoses on the ground running from ponds, lakes, or creeks.

"If you see such apparatus, call us," Wheeler said. "We will follow the hoses. Don't put yourself at risk."

Wheeler said that this year's marijuana harvest time is just about ended and that it will be around early Spring, around Easter, when new crops will be planted. "Anytime after it looks like there won't be any more freezes," he added.

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