“Holy cow.”
That was the reaction of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics Director John Dowdy when he was told the number of marijuana plants that were discovered hidden deep in an elaborate setup of irrigation, living-quarter tents and marijuana processing areas in the woods of Jefferson Davis County Thursday.
The following day, the original number kept growing and moving past 20,000 by the late afternoon.
MBN agents say it is the largest outdoor marijuana grow found in the state in more than 35 years.
Earlier reports placed the number of plants around 6,000, which brought an estimated street value of at least $10 million. Now, Dowdy places that estimate at a “conservative” $20 million.
The plants, found off Polk Oatis Road, about two miles east of Granby Road, are divided into at least six fields and are covering an estimated four to six acres, according to officials on the scene.
The setup through those fields was elaborate, with hoses running from water stored in a large plastic swimming pool and a neighboring pond and irrigating the fields of plants, many of which were 6-feet tall or more. There were campsites, complete with tents, clothing and food stores. It was clear someone had left in a hurry.
And between the fields was an underground bunker with a ladder and generator visible through the opening. The cord from the generator ran through the woods, though it wasn’t clear where it went.
There were tarps stretched across wire, covering areas where the pot was dried and processed. As huge as the operation was, it wasn’t visible from the road. Guns and cellphones were found on the property as well.
After receiving a tip on the marijuana, officials conducted most of their surveillance of the hidden growing fields from the air via drone footage and an agency helicopter. When authorities got there, the campsites were abandoned.
“Our guess is they probably got spooked,” Dowdy said. “When we came in on the helicopters, we flew right in on the treetops to get confirmation.
“We had people on the street who could get in there once we gave them the coordinates, but once we were able to cut our way back in here, nobody was in the place.
“But obviously they knew what they were doing and they were very sophisticated.”
Authorities say they do have some leads though.
“Somebody’s going to jail,” Dowdy said.
By Thursday afternoon, a bulldozer was busy clearing a path from the road into the woods so officials could access the marijuana sites more easily to remove the plants from the premises.
“It feels good to know that whoever had this operation going will be out of business for a while,” said Jefferson Davis County Sheriff Ron Strickland. “You can see for yourself all the marijuana plants we’ve got here, and there are five areas. Five to six acres. I’m glad they got caught.”
MBN is in the process of removing the plants, getting a plant count, and burning the pot in pits, according to Dowdy.
“This is the most significant and sophisticated grow that we’ve seen in Mississippi, probably ever,” Dowdy said. “This is very similar to the cartel grows we see out west. They had irrigation systems built in here and there are camps where individuals had been living on the back side of the grow.”
credit:clarionledger.com