Marijuana bust nets 1,100 plants

By DAVID CLUCAS
Banner-Graphic Staff Writer
During the past week, Indiana State Police have cut down and confiscated more than 1,100 marijuana plants growing illegally in Putnam County.

The most recent raid came Tuesday when state officers sliced through the brush of woods that line the Big Walnut Creek south of Reelsville and found a load of 120 marijuana plants. Later in the day, ISP cut down about 150 plants in Coatesville.

The rest of the plants were found in areas such as Eminence, Paragon and Belle Union.

Trooper Dennis Wade estimated the entire load would be worth more than $850,000.

"It all starts inside," Wade said. He points toward the paper seed holster at the end of each cut plant to prove that someone began the plants as seedlings. After the plant grows a foot tall, the illegal growers transfer the drug-producing plants outside, usually onto patches of other people's property.

Tucked amongst weeds and vines, the marijuana is well hidden from any common man wandering through the woods and fields. However, with aid from the air and Global Positioning Satellite technology, ISP officers can locate these crops effectively.

Plane and helicopter flights over Indiana's fields spot the patches of marijuana and then pilots mark the location with a GPS system. The mark gives an exact longitude and latitude placement of the crop. Along with aerial pictures, ISP troopers then use a mobile hand-held GPS system to walk directly to the illegal plants.

As Wade and his fellow troopers inch closer to the GPS mark in the Reelsville woods, the sudden strong smell of marijuana tells them that the technology is on target.

"Find the dope," Wade tells his fellow troopers with a smile.

Before cutting the plants, the crew inspects for booby-traps. Some serious planters go to such extremes as putting razor blades and other obstacles to stop or harm officers.

After the all clear, Wade and ISP Troopers David Cox and Will Etter, and Putnam County Chief Deputy Doug Nally and Reserve Deputy Jon Chadd and Conservation Officer Todd Wix, go to work cutting the marijuana. They slice into the stalk with their foot-long machetes and rip out the roots in the process. Wix then loads the plants on an ATV and hauls them to the ISP trucks.

Wade said that later this week, ISP will destroy all the confiscated marijuana. ISP will also attempt discover the suspects growing the illegal crop.