Virginia: Largest Ever Outdoor Marijuana Grow Discovered

[Jacob Redmond]

The largest outdoor marijuana grow ever found in Virginia was discovered in Patrick County on Wednesday morning, according to the Patrick County Sheriff's Office.

Authorities found the vast network of makeshift terraces in a remote area on the southeast side of Bull Mountain around 6 a.m. after conducting surveillance.

There were 35 different grow areas, yielding a total of 30,255 plants. Deputies estimate the street value at $30 million to $105 million.

The plants were located about two miles from the nearest public road.

Patrick County Sheriff Dan Smith said there were crude trail systems cut through the mountain side. He says a two man team made a primitive, yet elaborate set-up deep in the woods of Bull Mountain.

"There was a lean to shelter with a tent under the lean to shelter, they did have solar panels and an inverter probably to charge cellphones"

But this was no homemade, back yard operation and it wasn't easy to dismantle.

"This is a complex, large, criminal network."*

The operation's scope is wide reaching all the way back to the deadly Mexican drug cartels.

"We're very familiar with the clandestine Mexican outdoor grows because this is the third time our county has been victim to this."

A similar grow with 3,700 plants was found in Patrick County in 2011. He believes this is a grow similar to one found in 2011.

All plants had been confiscated and brought down the mountain by 1 p.m. Thursday. Smith says about 25 officers, including state police and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents, were counting and recovering plants.

The plants were small because of the time of year.

Smith is optimistic that charges are forthcoming.

News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Sheriff: Largest outdoor marijuana grow found in Patrick Co., ties to Mexican drug cartel | Southern Virginia Area News - WDBJ7.com Central and Southwest VA
Author: Nadia Singh
Contact: nsingh@wdbj7.com
Photo Credit: Patrick County Sheriff's Office
Website: WDBJ7: Local news, weather, & sports for Southwest and Central Virginia

 

[Marblehead]

Ya right, they are positive that MJ sales "is used to fund the methamphetamine trade, the cocaine trade." And just how do they know this? Maybe, just maybe it's a group of people trying to make some $$ and that's it. Why do they always have to emelish and make shit up to make it seem as though MJ is always a gateway to other crime? Asswads.

 

[santb]

Anecdotal evidence suggests that a grow of this size would almost certainly be used by organized crime as a fund-raiser for other activities. At least, that is true where I live. Here (Southern Hemisphere), the various "mafia" groups buy/rent, then convert whole houses to grow large amounts; 5-20 houses at a time, occupied by paid "caretakers", producing pound upon pound of weed.. Yes, usually to raise cash for meth ingredients or heroin; weapons etc...
Not to be argumentative: this is the VERY REASON MJ should be legalized/de-criminalized and regulated. The tax-free, black market cash economy would simply disappear for the criminals, and us regular folk who want to grow for fun and/or medical use WOULD NOT be lumped in with the greedy, murdering psychopaths attracted to MJ because of its value as a cash-crop fund-raiser, or worse - be put in jail with them.
Legalize it now, and watch these criminals disappear from our neighbourhoods virtually overnight!

 

[Happy Hemper]

The black market would not simply disappear as the demand for hard drugs would continue, perhaps reduced a bit. I imagine that the price for the man made drugs would go up as they would no longer be subsidized by the MJ market. I wish that it could be so easy to rid ourselves of those that intend harm and degrade our neighborhoods.

 

[santb]

I totally agree. You're right; we humans are a greedy bunch, always looking for a quick fix (literally and figuratively)!
I meant the MJ black market..
My main point is that there will always be a market for just about anything you want to sell, be that heroin or asprin. Or guns or teddy bears... We are relatively isolated where I am; our Customs Agents are pretty good and growing MJ is the easiest way for crims to raise cash here. That and theft. Meth is becoming a HUGE problem here because it is plentiful and usually much cheaper than weed! Plus the individual ingredients are (apparently) easy to import legally.. But you still have to pay for those ingredients... I reckon many potential meth users would stick to weed if it were cheaper and more available. Same with drunk idiots picking fights on the streets (also a problem here).. A lot of guys would calm down a bit, or even stay home if smoking weed.
But there is always going to be a percentage that want to take meth, heroin or get drunk and punch strangers.. Humans can be scumbags.
Then there are plenty who just want to make money from MJ alone; your average home recreational/medicinal user/grower rarely gets caught with more than a dozen or 2 plants, a pound or 2 of stash, maybe some cash... I guess it's the same everywhere. The really big operations (here) that are busted always seem to turn out to be run by larger organized crime gangs, and if the cops manage to break the network, they always find weapons, meth, speed, heroin et al also.
I personally think from experience that demand for hard drugs would come down a bit: supply would drop increasing price, not to mention that some might just stick with weed if they were able to get it legally and safely.. I don't subscribe to the MJ as a gateway theory (scientifically dis-proven, I think I read somewhere) but the fact is some people just wanna get as wasted as they can, and find weed unsatisfying after a while.
The fact is even here MJ is a multi-billion dollar tax-free industry at the moment. To lose that would bring a huge deficit to large criminal organizations; some would go straight to bigger and badder enterprises (IMO exponentially increasing the chance of them being broken), but many would simply fade away, or stick to street-level activities (again increasing chances of arrests).
Don't know how true this is, but I heard a story already that Colorados police union is pissed off; cops are being laid off for lack of work, thanks to minor street crime/cannabis possession arrests dropping off.. Sounds like bs to me, but just imagine!!
Plus, there will always be those that can't grow or get a med certificate, so there will probably always be a black market for MJ; the big difference would be that if a friend or friend-of-a-friend can easily get it, that would still cut out the need for organized crime in the supply chain..
You in the States have got it somewhat worse with the cartels and various home-grown and foreign mafias, relative freedom of enterprise, a massively over-worked and out numbered law enforcment system and a relatively massive population percentage eager to buy..

 

[stones55]

On a federal level, just as in Washington, D.C., legalize it on a federal level and allow people to grow their own crop for their own use. Open up the market to bigger grows and retail shops and everything will fall in place. The tax levies need to be scrutinized so as to not impede new investors and entrepreneurs into the market. It needs to be a free market that is NOT stymied by taxes.

There's a big enough pie in this industry for everyone to have a slice --- including our greedy government, who has a way of screwing up just about everything it gets involved in. But, sometimes these entities have to come to the party even though the vast majority of those at the party would say, "Shit --- don't invite THEM --- they'll just screw things up.

 

[gearhead6621]

Buuull Shiiit! These stories just keep getting more spectacular all the time. Look at the numbers. They found this grow at 6:00 am on Wednesday. 30,255 plants. All plants had been confiscated and brought down the mountain by 1 p.m. Thursday. Supposedly by 25 officers. Buuull Shiiit! Sheriff Dan Smith says a two man team was responsible for these 30,255 plants, and tells about their elaborate
set-up deep in the woods. Buuull Shiiit! And of course all of this is used to fund more sinister operations. Right! What a crock of BS! First off, growing and harvesting marijuana outdoors isn't something you have an unlimited amount of time to do. You have a limited amount of time to grow and harvest your plants. It would take 1000 people to grow and harvest 30,255 plants. People that don't grow marijuana don't know what is involved, and believe hyped up stories like this. As long as the public keeps eating up stories like this, these stories are just going to keep getting bigger and more spectacular. Pig out!

 

[santb]

Buuull Shiiit! These stories just keep getting more spectacular all the time. Look at the numbers. They found this grow at 6:00 am on Wednesday. 30,255 plants. All plants had been confiscated and brought down the mountain by 1 p.m. Thursday. Supposedly by 25 officers. Buuull Shiiit! Sheriff Dan Smith says a two man team was responsible for these 30,255 plants, and tells about their elaborate
set-up deep in the woods. Buuull Shiiit! And of course all of this is used to fund more sinister operations. Right! What a crock of BS! First off, growing and harvesting marijuana outdoors isn't something you have an unlimited amount of time to do. You have a limited amount of time to grow and harvest your plants. It would take 1000 people to grow and harvest 30,255 plants. People that don't grow marijuana don't know what is involved, and believe hyped up stories like this. As long as the public keeps eating up stories like this, these stories are just going to keep getting bigger and more spectacular. Pig out!

Actually, that is a really good point!! Embarrassed I missed that... 30000 plants??
Must be a typo. Can Mods verify this?
The "War on Drugs" uses many weapons. Maybe lying to people about how much they are busting is just one....
Would've taken the cops weeks to get 30000 plants down from remote sections of a mountain. Maybe there was a shitload of seedlings?