Marijuana eradication efforts underway in Indiana

        Indiana state police along with several other organizations have created a program in response to ongoing marijuana growing operations that have been found near state and federally owned property.

The pictures are from the plants grown illegally on properties like the hoosier national forest.

The program works to reduce remove marijuana from these and other areas along with reducing the supply in southern Indian and across the state.

       On August 23, the Indiana State Police along with the Indiana National Guard Counter Drug Task Force, DEA, US Forest Service, Civil Air Patrol, Indiana DNR and local law enforcement agencies converged on Southern Indiana to concentrate efforts on illegal marijuana grow operations.  This effort was in response to ongoing intelligence of illegal drug trafficking operations illegally growing marijuana on public property like the Hoosier National Forrest and other remote state and federally owned property. 

       This cooperative effort was named "Operation Hoosier Thunder" and its mission was as follows, "For the Indiana State Police, Indiana National Guard Counter Drug Task Force, DEA, US Forest Service, Civil Air Patrol, Indiana DNR and local law enforcement agencies to conduct marijuana detection and eradication operations in the vicinity of the Hoosier National Forest in order to confirm or deny the presence of cultivated marijuana and reduce marijuana supply in the greater southern Indiana area."

       Because of the rugged and dense terrain the operation utilized OH-58, and UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters from the Indiana National Guard Counter Drug Task Force, along with other aircraft from the Indiana State Police and the Civil Air Patrol.  Several ground teams also navigated the area and eradicated the marijuana.

       Even though efforts were concentrated in the southern part of the state, marijuana eradication efforts have been ongoing statewide.  Statewide during the operation there were approximately 19,000 plants eradicated with an estimated street value of $47,500,000.  316 illegal marijuana plots were discovered and 20 suspects have charges pending for illegal grows.  The largest grow discovered in the operation was located in Jackson County, in the Hoosier National Forrest on Tuesday August 31 where 7,513 plants were located. No arrests have been made from this grow operation but investigators are still following up on leads.  An officer involved with the discovery and eradication of these plants said, "Eradicating the marijuana and stopping the destruction of our public lands is why we have joined forces."