The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office seized 6,770 small marijuana plants from a wooded area near Holly Grove Church Road Tuesday. Pictured are, from left, RCSO Deputy Travis Bowman and Lt. Brian Mabe as they picked the marijuana plants, which were three to four inches tall.
Aurelio Pineda Montano, 45, of 4311 Colier St., Houston, Tx., is being held in the Richmond County Jail on a felony charge of manufacturing marijuana. He was jailed on a $100,000 bond.
“I appreciate the hard work and dedication of the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit and Special Response Team,” Sheriff Dale Furr said Tuesday afternoon.
He characterized the number of plants seized as “an extremely large amount.”
According to Montano’s arrest report, the Richmond County Vice/Narcotics Unit received information about an illegal marijuana growing operation in the forest along Holly Grove Church Road.
The Narcotics Unit, along with the RCSO Special Response Team, entered the woods and found Montano watering the marijuana plants.
Along with the 6,770 plants, several items used for their cultivation were seized.
Investigators said the plants were three to four inches tall, and said the operation had been recently set up.
A mature marijuana plant’s street value is estimated at between $1,500 and $2,000 according to the State Bureau of Investigation.
The North Carolina Highway Patrol assisted the sheriff’s office during the seizure.
Staff Writer Philip D. Brown can be reached at (910) 997-3111 ext. 32, or by e-mail at pbrown@yourdailyjournal.com.
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