Marijuana plants, Shawano County (IMAGE: Shawano Co. Sheriff)
Shawano County Sheriff Randy Wright says a big marijuana growing operation discovered in his county may have links to organized crime.
AUDIO: Sheriff Randy Wright (:15 MP3)
A tip led law enforcement to marijuana within the 17,000 acre Navarino State Wildlife Area, where they destroyed approximately 8,000 plants, making it the largest such exercise in state history. Chris Hackbarth with the federal Drug Enforcement Agency says there’s a simple reason for this kind of criminal activity: “it’s a very lucrative business.”
AUDIO: Chris Hackbarth (:14 MP3)
In addition to the thousands of plants, investigators found four separate camps and work sites. Wright says the operation appears to have been abandoned for about two and a half weeks – but that some marijuana does appear to have been harvested. Wright, Hackbarth and other officials who participated in the operation held a press conference Wednesday.
WTCH’s Doug Erdman contributed to this report