Elk hunters find marijuana field

Two bow hunters looking for elk stumbled upon a field of marijuana plants while hiking over mountain terrain in Morgan County on Thursday.

Weber Morgan Narcotics Strike Force and the Drug Enforcement Agency removed 1,238 plants capable of producing roughly 1,400 pounds of marijuana from a slope near Mormon Flats. Officials estimated a harvest of the plants would be worth more than $1.4 million.

The discovery was the third of its kind in Utah within the past 16 days. DEA officials cite an increase in local marijuana farming to growing pressure on drug traffickers at the Mexico-U.S. border.

After the hunters found the plants, they contacted police and the owner of the private land on which they had received permission to hunt.

"We don't have any suspects at this time," said Lt. Darin Parke of the Weber Morgan Narcotics Strike Force. "The (land) owner isn't a suspect; he didn't know anything about it."

In an effort to encourage more hunters and hikers to come forward with information on finding future marijuana grows while in the woods, the narcotics agency is rewarding the two hunters with a total of $1,238 — a dollar for each marijuana plant found.

Farmers of the illegal operation piped water to the small plot from a spring about one-quarter of a mile away in an unburied half-inch plastic pipe.

"It's quite established," Parke said. "I would estimate that it's been in operation for at least a couple years."

Because a helicopter that would normally be available to the task force was being utilized on a search and rescue effort Friday evening, about 14 officials from various agencies had to backpack large plants — some grew as high as 8 feet tall — to the nearest road a half-mile away.

"It took us a while, and a few trips," Parke said.

Officials say they will dispose of the marijuana plants, which were "ready for harvesting," by either burying it "deep" in a local landfill or burning it.

Officials uncovered and dismantled a field of marijuana plants in Tooele County on Aug. 26 worth about $9 million. A couple days later, in Wayne County, 20,000 plants were found worth between $25 million and $60 million. The peak harvest period for Mountain West states like Utah, Colorado and Wyoming are typically between August and mid-September.

Frank Smith, assistant special agent in charge with the DEA, said local growers are usually "organized criminals" most often based out of California or Mexico who use Utah for its relative proximity to California.

Last year, the DEA recorded confiscating more than 100,000 plants, a state record.

e-mail: jhancock@desnews.com