FARMINGTON – Law enforcement officers and drug agents eradicated 865 mature marijuana plants this past week in Franklin County. It brings the estimated street value of marijuana uprooted in the area since mid-July to nearly $1 million.
The marijuana was seized from seven different sites last week, with a substantial amount seized in the area of No. 6 Road in Phillips. The seized plants had an estimated street value in excess of $800,000, Franklin County Detective Tom White stated in a release.
Prior to these raids, 120 marijuana plants with an estimated street value of $50,000 to $60,000 were eradicated from fields in New Vineyard, Temple and Farmington early in August. Additionally, 44 marijuana plants with a street value estimated worth $44,000 were seized from land off Mosher Hill Road in Industry in mid-July.
In the most recent eradication efforts, state police and officers from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department, the Farmington, Jay and Livermore Falls police departments, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Maine National Guard Reconnaissance and Interdiction Detachment assisted.
Using information gathered from several different sources, White said, eradication teams using all-terrain vehicles and four-wheel trucks, directed by spotters in aircraft, were able to locate the sites in remote locations throughout the county.
Evidence from one of the sites was taken to the Maine State Crime Laboratory DNA Section in Augusta for examination. The results of testing that evidence is pending, White stated.
The weather this summer has not appeared to affect the marijuana crop too much, White stated, and many of the plants were very large and appeared to be of high quality.
At several of the sites, the officers had trouble removing the plants because of their size, he stated.
The marijuana will be taken to a secure site and destroyed, he said.
In the coming weeks, the marijuana harvest will be in full swing, White stated, and police are asking residents of Franklin County to report any suspicious behavior or vehicles they may observe in remote areas.
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