$2 Million Marijuana Farm Busted in Liberty County

State and local law officers located and destroyed a large field of marijuana in a heavily wooded area in Liberty County last weekend.  It was the second such growing site found in the county in recent weeks.

The latest find was made off State Highway 105 Saturday after an anonymous caller contacted the Cleveland Police Department.

Liberty County Sheriff's Deputies say they found more than 1,000 marijuana plants at the site.  They say this farm had an irrigation system and pumps capable of delivering large amounts of water.  They also found tents and other covered living quarters at the site.

Deputies had to cut through thick forest and undergrowth and use off-road ATVs to reach the remote growing area.  The plants were found in three large cultivated spots.  The marijuana was estimated to be valued about $2.5 million.

No suspects were found in the area.  In fact, deputies say it appears the growers left in a hurry because their cooking stoves were still warm when deputies arrived.

All the plants were uprooted and burned.

via $2 million pot operation uncovered in Cleveland area | Newswatch | a Chron.com blog.

Marijuana growers and dealers have been hiding their farms in the Piney Woods and National Forests for many years, which means foresters and law officers have become very good at finding them.

Just two weeks ago, they found about 6,000 stalks of marijuana at another site outside Hardin.  That haul had an estimated street value of more than $4 million, and it was the biggest growing operation found in the county so far.