Aug. 1, 2002 – Narcotics agents raided a marijuana farm in Estate Contant on Thursday, seizing more than half a ton of marijuana plants that an official said represented a street value of about $1 million.
No arrests were made in the morning raid, and agents were continuing to investigate the operation, U.S. Attorney David Nissman said later in the day.
Of the various marijuana farms that narcotics agents have come across, the one raided Thursday was one of the largest, Assistant U.S. Attorney Hugh Mabe said. "Among the marijuana seizures we've had in recent years, this one is very substantial," he said.
The property had about a thousand marijuana plants ranging from 2 feet to more than 12 feet in height, Nissman said, and collectively weighing more than a thousand pounds. He estimated the street value of the marijuana being grown at $1 million.
The agents also seized about 80 rounds of rifle ammunition, Nissman said.
The exact location of the farm was not specified. Contant stretches from the heavily populated area west of downtown Charlotte Amalie up the forested hillsides to the north overlooking Cyril E. King Airport. Officials declined to say how they learned about the marijuana farm, because the investigation into its operation is continuing.
The raid was conducted by the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force, which includes agents from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and U.S. Customs; and the V.I. Police Department, Housing Authority Police and the National Guard.
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