TYLER COUNTY - by Scott Lawrence - KFDM News has learned the Tyler County Sheriff's Office uncovered a huge marijuana growing operation with an estimated 5,000-10,000 marijuana plants, some nearly 8' tall, deep in the woods east of Hillister where few people live.
KFDM News is on the scene and will have much more at 5, 6 and 10.
Tyler County Sheriff David Hennigan tells KFDM News officers from his department and a number of law enforcement agencies began removing the plants late Thursday morning.
"A longtime D.E.A. informant with credible, proven information provided a tip to the Drug Enforcement Administration about one week ago," Sheriff Hennigan told KFDM News. "We got a warrant. He said there are probably 5-10,000 marijuana plants. It's the largest operation ever uncovered in Tyler County and probably one of the largest in East Texas."
Hennigan said officers had already removed an estimated 2,000 plants by early Thursday afternoon. He said some was being dried out and made ready for sale.
"One of the officers is 6'7" and some of the plants were one foot taller than him. We think some of them are nearly 8' high."
Hennigan told KFDM News the operation is in a heavily wooded area several miles east of Hillister, south of Woodville.
"Hardly anyone lives out there," said Sheriff Hennigan. "We're bringing in the Texas Forest Service to bulldoze lanes for us to drive vehicles with trailers. It's too much and too hard to carry out by hand."
The Texas Department of Public Safety has provided a helicopter for the raid. Hennigan said the D.E.A., the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Montgomery County Sheriff's Office and SWAT team, dogs from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, and other law enforcement agencies are assisting his office with the raid.
"We've already arrested at least two people. We believe 6-7 people tended to the marijuana and lived at campsites near it."
Hennigan told KFDM investigators have information a number of people from outside of Tyler County were overseeing the operation. He believes the marijuana was destined for outside of this area.
Tyler County S.O. uncovers thousands of pot plants deep in forest
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