Dope haul largest local bust

REPRINTED COURTESY OF THE SENTINEL

By Eric Harkreader, August 22, 2006

The recent seizure of 20 mature marijuana plants valued at more than $1,000 each was the largest haul in recent times, but it may not impact the local drug trade, Carlisle police Chief Stephen Margeson says.

"We don’t really know who was growing it, but under these circumstances, it wasn’t feasible to put it under surveillance," Margeson said. "This could have been somebody from out of the area."

The plants were confiscated earlier this month after a collaborative effort among local, county and state law enforcement agencies led to the deployment of an aerial drug detection helicopter from a National Guard unit at Fort Indiantown Gap. The contraband vegetation was seized from a clearing just north of the Good Hope Road overpass on the median of Interstate 81, police said.

Seizure applauded

Cumberland County District Attorney Dave Freed applauded the seizure and said just because there are no reported leads now on the grower doesn’t mean the anonymous gardener will remain that way.

"Obviously we would like to prosecute the grower, but the end of this story has not been written yet," he said, adding that the county’s Drug Task Force will "do what it does, talk to sources, do backgrounds and gather intelligence. Hopefully it bears some fruit."

Not first time

Freed said it wasn’t the first time drugs have been seized with the help of the guard’s aviation unit.

Dating to an antidrug initiative in the ‘80s, the support that the National Guard offers to state governors in times of emergencies was expanded to include drug eradication, said Master Sgt. Richard Breach, a public affairs representative for the Northeast Counterdrug Aviation Unit based at the Lebanon County installation.

"Typically, we get a call when they have some intell already," he said. "Maybe they had five farmers call and say, ‘I think I have something weird growing in my fields.’"

If the intelligence indicates a large enough stash, helicopter pilots will be sent out on low-flying surveillance missions, he said.

"If you’ve done much flying, then you know exactly what (marijuana) looks like... it’s pretty unmistakable," Breach said.

Busy season

During the busy season when the illicit crops ripen, Breach said, it’s not uncommon to have daily assignments for the unit’s three helicopters. Also at Fort Indiantown Gap, the Northeast Counterdrug Training Center offers photosurveillance courses in everything from low-light to long-range observation posts, Breach said.

Because the unit handles the entire state, distant assignments are often scheduled for several days at once, he said. Even with cruising speeds of 100 mph, Erie is nearly three hours away, he added.

The multiple-day approach is also helpful if there’s not precise intelligence and a wide swath of land is being scanned, he says.

Still, Breach said, the number of outdoor growers has dwindled over the years.

And the ones who still grow it outside tend to grow it in smaller quantities, he said.

But it wasn’t always so.

As a long-time guard member, Breach recalls a 1989 mission in Northcentral Pennsylvania where he came across a huge circular clearing in the middle of a field that was full of thriving marijuana plants. He estimates the crop covered some five times the area of a football field.

In more recent times, he said, dealers have switched to growing it indoors or importing it.

Comes from elsewhere

Margeson said most of the marijuana that passes through Carlisle is of the outsourced variety.

Nonetheless, it wasn’t a big surprise for the long-time officer to hear that such a large crop — each bush was some 5 to 6 feet high and 3 to 4 feet wide — was so near at hand.

"Pennsylvania is an agricultural state anyway, and there are always entrepreneurs out there," he said.

Police ask anyone with information on the plants to call 243-5252.

Fast facts:

• Based out of Fort Indiantown Gap, the Northeast Counterdrug Aviation Unit provides surveillance assistance to law enforcement agencies across the state.

• In the fiscal year that ended in October 2005, the unit helped law enforcement officials spot some 1,500 plants.

• In the same time period, it helped locate some 1,900 pounds of processed marijuana.

• That haul is estimated to be worth $7 million worth of marijuana at today’s average street prices.

Source: Public affairs for the Northeast Counterdrug Aviation Unit