About 60 marijuana plants have been seized from an indoor growing operation near the southern end of Highway EE in Warren County, Sheriff Kevin Harrison said. Officers from the sheriff’s department …
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Officers bust pot operation
Posted
By Adam Rollins, Record Staff Writer
About 60 marijuana plants have been seized from an indoor growing operation near the southern end of Highway EE in Warren County, Sheriff Kevin Harrison said.Officers from the sheriff’s department and East Central Drug Task Force seized the plants inside a residence Thursday, June 15, during a joint search.One 42-year-old male was identified at the residence, but his name had not been released as of press time because charges are still pending.The three-bedroom house was rampant with signs of the operation to grow marijuana and prepare it for distribution, said Detective Kevin Talir.“He had plants in every bedroom,” Talir said. “Two of them were completely designated as a grow room, and then in his bedroom, he used the closet to get them started. In bathroom the you could tell he was using to do the clippings. His refrigerator was full of weed.”A significant quantity of finished, packaged product was also found and taken by the drug task force to be weighed, Harrison added. The plants were taken to the evidence lockup at the Warren County Courthouse, where the smell pervaded the entire building and the surrounding area for most of the next day.Law enforcement did not have an estimate for how much the seized marijuana product would be worth once sold, but said each plant on average produces about 1 pound of the drug, depending on the size of the plant.Talir said he and a team of officers went to the residence based on information they had received about an operation distributing marijuana throughout Warren, Lincoln and St. Charles counties.The odor of raw marijuana was detectable even before officers got out of their vehicles, he said. The resident answered the door with plant material on his shoulder, spoke with officers and gave them consent to search the residence, Talir said.The man was not arrested at the scene because he was cooperating with authorities and was not likely to pose a danger if he was left free pending charges, Talir said.The number of marijuana arrests in Warren County, including growers, has significantly decreased over the years, Harrison explained. Law enforcement’s current priority is the more severe spread of methamphetamine and heroin.Public perception also has shifted in favor of marijuana, Harrison said.“People still readily recognize that marijuana is illegal, but it’s quickly becoming seen as the lesser of the evils,” Harrison said. “But a felony is a felony. ... We’re not spending enormous amounts of time and resources looking for it, but when you answer the door with it on your shoulder, we’re going to spend some time with you.”The marijuana plants will eventually be disposed of by being burned outdoors, Harrison said.
Officers with the Warren County Sheriff's Department and East Central Drug Task Force seized about 60 marijuana plants from a residence near the southern end of Highway EE last week. Submitted photo.
