Authorities seize thousands of marijuana plants

Bag of marijuana plants seized in Elmore County.

Authorities seized thousands of young marijuana plants growing in a remote area of Elmore County this week after the Sheriff's office received a tip from a local rancher that led them to the discovery.

A total of 5,865 plants were found at the huge growing operation alongside Rattlesnake Creek, which is located about 15 miles northwest of Prairie, and Sheriff Rick Layher estimated the street value of the plants, at maturity, to be $5-10 million.

Layher and Detective Clint Andrus spent all day Tuesday collecting the marijuana plants and other evidence found at the scene that could lead to some arrests in the illicit discovery.

Remote hillside in Elmore County where marijuana plants were found growing.

"It was a pretty elaborate growing operation," Layher said, "but we feel that the operation has been abandoned at this time."

Layher and Andrus uncovered an extensive irrigation system that drew water from the nearby stream and transported it through lines of plastic tubing that had been buried and then to the immature cannabis plants, across an area that spanned about 200 yards.

"I don't think the person(s) who planted all these seedlings were really familiar with the local area because they put it right by a [walking] trail," Layher commented.

Marijuana plant found in Elmore County.

Items found in the area could indicate an affiliation with a Hispanic group, according to Layher, based on some papers and food packaging containers that were written in Spanish.

The seedlings apparently were transported to the area using plastic Ziploc bags, some of which still contained soil when they were found.

Spaced about three to four feet apart, each plant was in a hole about 12 inches deep and measuring about 12 inches in diameter.

The plants ranged in size from two to seven inches in height though many plants had been destroyed from the trampling of grazing cattle.

Forest Service officer Moies Herrera assisted Layher and Andrus with the removal of plants from the drug growing operation, which is located on state owned land.

Andrus said that the plants will be turned over to state level law enforcement and then will be destroyed.

Layher encouraged hunters, fisherman, hikers and tubers who might visit the more remote areas of the county and notice items such a plastic tubing, or other unusual things on trails or observe persons engaging in suspicious activities to report that information to the Sheriff's office at 587-2100.