Betsy Ficklin, 2010

Richmond County Sheriff’s Office discovered 14,000 marijuana plants.

Local law enforcement authorities received a tip last Wednesday that may have uncovered the presence of a violent Mexican drug cartel here on the Northern Neck.

With help from federal, state agencies and other local Sheriff’s Offices, the tip resulted in the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office’s confiscation and destruction of a $44 million marijuana crop and an arrest of one illegal alien.

In a phone interview on Tuesday morning, Richmond County Sheriff Douglas A. Bryant minced no words when praising the law enforcement agencies that provided their assistance and continue to lend specialized support.

“The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office seized the largest quantity of marijuana in the entire state of Virginia for the 2010 season between Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2010, and Saturday, Aug. 14, 2010,â€