SUPERIOR – Officials in western Montana say they removed and destroyed an estimated 3,000 marijuana plants and an extensive drip irrigation system Tuesday from a 3-acre growing operation spotted during aerial surveillance of the Lolo National Forest.
The U.S. Forest Service and the Mineral County Sheriff’s Office said the plants had a street value estimated at $8 million and were found laid out in terraces on a steep hillside camouflaged by other vegetation.
No suspects were observed at the site when it was discovered in mid-July and officers believe the area has been abandoned. Officials are asking anyone who may have seen suspicious activity in the Superior District of the forest to contact law enforcement.
Forest Service Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Herrick says grow operations have been discovered in national forests throughout the country, and now the problem has arrived in Montana.
Meanwhile, Sheriff Ernie Ornelas said the size of the grow operation indicates it is tied with a drug-trafficking organization.
“We consider this a considerable threat to public safety, for the general public, Forest Service employees and law enforcement,” he said during a news conference in Superior on Tuesday.
The marijuana plants appeared to be 2-3 feet tall in photos released by the Lolo National Forest. Some were growing in terraces about 2-feet wide cut into the side of a hill, while others were in rows of four growing along a decommissioned forest road.