Police seize 400 pot plants in Nelson County raid

By Carrie J. Sidener

Published: July 22, 2008

While a helicopter hovered above a patch of woods in Nelson County, officers pulled up and jumped out of their vehicles, machetes drawn.

Spotters above had marked a patch of iridescent green — an unmistakable sign of marijuana plants. A dozen deputies and state agents headed that way.

The scene was repeated a few times on Tuesday, as law enforcement trolled for pot in the foothills, woods and fields of Nelson County.

They were looking for marijuana plants and they found them — 401 plants by the time the day was over.

Nelson Sheriff David Brooks said the county has a larger problem than most others in Virginia with illegal marijuana-growing operations.

He’s not sure why, but thinks it may be because Nelson County is largely rural, yet centrally located between Charlottesville and Lynchburg.

Tuesday’s flyover is part of an annual three-month statewide effort to eliminate marijuana-growing operations, Brooks said.

“You’ll never eradicate it but we have to chip away at it,” Brooks said. “The more we can get off the streets is less that we have to deal with getting in the hands of kids.”

The National Guard helicopter crew spotted the bright green from the sky. The plant sticks out from the natural foliage, making it easily spotted even in clusters as small as a few plants, Brooks said.

Almost 200 plants were found hidden in pots and planted in the ground off a narrow path just wide enough for a vehicle.

Brooks said the pots make the plants easily movable; growers think spreading out the plants make them less visible from the air. That’s not the case, he said.

While authorities trekked through the brush to pull the plants from behind several houses on Hunting Lodge Road near Shipman, the man they believe had been tending the plants showed up.

Tony Hanie, 37, was arrested and charged with manufacturing and distribution of marijuana and possession of a firearm while in possession of more than a pound of marijuana.

The other large bust of the day happened just across the street and came not during the scheduled eradication but during a report of a domestic dispute. The man ran from deputies and the chase led them to a marijuana-growing operation.

The day began with Nelson County Sheriff’s deputies and special agents with the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control and the Drug Enforcement Agency gathering in a field on the sheriff’s property awaiting the helicopter and discussing the best paths to fly to observe the most land and use the least fuel.

Brooks said it takes months of planning to carry off one eradication mission. Spotters have to be trained and the helicopter time has to be scheduled.

The helicopter serves two missions — to spot the plants and make sure there are no traps or people in the area that could pose a threat to the men who trudge through the woods in search of the plants, Brooks said.

“This lets the community know that we are trying, we are doing what they pay us to do,” said Capt. Ron Robertson of the Nelson Sheriff’s Department.

Nelson County Sheriff David Brooks (from left), Virginia ABC special agent John Taylor and special Nelson County deputy Pete Rose break up pots full of marijuana plants on Tuesday.
LEE LUTHER JR