Grundy County, Tenn., Sheriff’s Deputy Derrick Morrison watches as a pile of marijuana plants is burned behind the Grundy County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday. The harvest was confiscated off Taylor Road near Gruetli-Laager, Tenn., by GCSD, DEA and TBI officers and had a street value of $37 million.
ALTAMONT, Tenn. – A Grundy County deputy’s trip into the woods led to this week’s discovery of a large outdoor marijuana-growing operation and almost 40,000 plants worth $37 million.
Grundy County Sheriff Brent Myers hand counted the first 2,000 large marijuana plants that were found growing in large wooden boxes on private property at the end of Taylor Road in Gruetli-Laager, near Savage Gulf State Natural Area.
“It’s probably the largest seizure in the county from one piece of property,” Myers said.
Myers said the deputy first spotted a “soaker” hose Wednesday lying on the ground while he was walking in the remote area that appeared to be a tree farm that had partially been clear cut some years ago and now is high brush. The deputy followed the hose, found 30 to 50 plants and notified the sheriff’s office.
As officers late Wednesday and on Thursday collected the first plants, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Governor’s Task Force on Marijuana Eradication and U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency agents teamed up with a helicopter from the Tennessee Highway Patrol and began scouting the area, locating an estimated 35,000 more pot plants by midafternoon, according to local, state and federal officials.