The crop was spotted during an aerial operation near Alsea Falls.
(CORVALLIS, Ore.) - The largest marijuana seizure in Benton County history is much larger than officials initially thought. The Benton County Sheriff’s Office estimates that a sophisticated growing operation near Alsea Falls had produced over one thousand marijuana plants.
Phillip Hudspeth, Public Information Officer for Benton County, says it kept officers busy. "After an exhaustive count that took three days, the Sheriff’s Office says 7,951 total marijuana plants were seized in the September 20th raid."
He says members of the Sheriff’s Office Marijuana Eradication team were on a routine aerial surveillance flight earlier this month when they spotted marijuana plants growing on Bureau of Land Management property.
Representatives from the Sheriff’s Office, BLM, Drug Enforcement Agency and Corvallis Police Department conducted the early morning raid. Hudspeth says one person was arrested at the growing operation and is likely to face federal charges.
Benton County Seizes Record Marijuana CropSalem-News.com