Felony charges pending in large pot growing operation near Dillon

By Nick Gevock - 02/14/2008

DILLON — Felony charges are expected to be filed next week in a large scale marijuana bust that occurred near here recently.

Local and state law officers seized 96 pot plants from a mobile home north of Dillon, said Blair Martenson, an agent in charge with the Southwest Montana Drug Task Force in Butte.

The home included plants in all stages of growth, which is typical of larger pot growing operations, he said.

“This was a marijuana growing operation that was pretty well sophisticated with the way it was set up,” Martenson said.

Task force agents combined with deputies from the Beaverhead County Sheriff’s Office raided the home on Feb. 1.

An adult male and female are suspects. They have yet to be charged pending the report by the task force to Beaverhead County Attorney Marv McCann. Their names were not released.

Martenson said the report is expected to be complete this week and he expects charges to be filed next week. He added that the delay in charges is common as agents must send the marijuana to a crime lab to confirm that it’s an illegal drug.

In addition, the scale of the operation added to the complexity of processing the materials seized.

“We always send drug evidence to the crime lab,” Martenson said. “We have to process a huge amount of evidence in this case — we had all that different equipment that we had to pull, the grow lights and timers.” The home had a special venting system built into it, as well as timers, special lights and other horticultural equipment. The ventilation system was designed so the growing operation would remain undetected from the outside.

Agents said in a press release that each plant could produce between two to four ounces of marijuana buds, the portion of the plant that is smoked because it has the highest level of THC. The street value of the marijuana is estimated at between $76,000 and $153,600.

Martenson said his office is recommending the suspects each be charged with criminal production or manufacture of dangerous drugs, a felony. With more than 30 plants involved, the suspects face two years to life in prison, plus a $50,000 fine.

The investigation of the operation had taken place over a three-month period.

Reporter Nick Gevock may be reached at nick.gevock@mtstandard.com.