MedMan
03-19-2007, 11:23 AM
In recent weeks, thousands of marijuana plants worth millions of dollars have been uncovered in more than 70 houses, authorities said.
Until this year, indoor grow houses were "very uncommon for Georgia," said Ruth Porter-Whipple, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
In contrast, authorities found only nine indoor grow houses in 2005 and 2006 in Georgia.
Growers used to use remote countryside spots to grow the illegal plants. But they were forced to move their operations indoors as authorities became adept at spotting the plants from the air.
"They got caught year after year," said Cpl. Bill Bunch of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
By moving the plants inside, growers found a side benefit _ year-round plant growth instead of an outside growing season that lasts just a few months, Bunch said.
Marijuana operations today are "kind of like when the moonshine era was going on," Bunch said. "If you find a moonshine still today, nine out of 10 times, it's going to be in a building."
In January 2006, a traffic accident led to authorities finding about $9,000 of marijuana growing in a metro Atlanta apartment.
A drunken driver crashed into an apartment building in Tucker, rupturing a gas line. Firefighters found the indoor pot growing operation _ 182 plants _ while checking for gas leaks, Gwinnett County police said.
The current series of marijuana raids began after authorities in Fayette County received a tip from DEA agents in Miami, said Capt. Mike Pruitt of the Fayette County Sheriff's Department. Investigators arrested the owner of a hydroponics store, which focuses on soil-less growing, in Fayetteville and the paper trail led them to grow houses scattered across metro Atlanta.
"They're coming into smaller communities where there's not a strong police presence," said Jefferson police Chief Joseph Wirthman.
Yet those locations are close enough to Atlanta's convergence of three major highways _ Interstates 20, 75 and 85.
Authorities say the marijuana is being cultivated in part for distribution across the country, especially in New York, where demand there means a higher profit for growers. In Atlanta, a pound of marijuana may sell for $3,800, but in New York it could sell for $6,000, Pruitt said.
Sheriff's deputies in Jackson County, where 10 grow houses were found, found some marijuana that perhaps a fleeing grower unloaded along the roadway.
"We're finding a lot of stuff dumped now and we feel like they're packing up and taking off before the law enforcement folks arrive," said Jackson County Sheriff Stan Evans.
Until this year, indoor grow houses were "very uncommon for Georgia," said Ruth Porter-Whipple, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
In contrast, authorities found only nine indoor grow houses in 2005 and 2006 in Georgia.
Growers used to use remote countryside spots to grow the illegal plants. But they were forced to move their operations indoors as authorities became adept at spotting the plants from the air.
"They got caught year after year," said Cpl. Bill Bunch of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
By moving the plants inside, growers found a side benefit _ year-round plant growth instead of an outside growing season that lasts just a few months, Bunch said.
Marijuana operations today are "kind of like when the moonshine era was going on," Bunch said. "If you find a moonshine still today, nine out of 10 times, it's going to be in a building."
In January 2006, a traffic accident led to authorities finding about $9,000 of marijuana growing in a metro Atlanta apartment.
A drunken driver crashed into an apartment building in Tucker, rupturing a gas line. Firefighters found the indoor pot growing operation _ 182 plants _ while checking for gas leaks, Gwinnett County police said.
The current series of marijuana raids began after authorities in Fayette County received a tip from DEA agents in Miami, said Capt. Mike Pruitt of the Fayette County Sheriff's Department. Investigators arrested the owner of a hydroponics store, which focuses on soil-less growing, in Fayetteville and the paper trail led them to grow houses scattered across metro Atlanta.
"They're coming into smaller communities where there's not a strong police presence," said Jefferson police Chief Joseph Wirthman.
Yet those locations are close enough to Atlanta's convergence of three major highways _ Interstates 20, 75 and 85.
Authorities say the marijuana is being cultivated in part for distribution across the country, especially in New York, where demand there means a higher profit for growers. In Atlanta, a pound of marijuana may sell for $3,800, but in New York it could sell for $6,000, Pruitt said.
Sheriff's deputies in Jackson County, where 10 grow houses were found, found some marijuana that perhaps a fleeing grower unloaded along the roadway.
"We're finding a lot of stuff dumped now and we feel like they're packing up and taking off before the law enforcement folks arrive," said Jackson County Sheriff Stan Evans.