Saturday, a hunter out maintaining a deer lease near Old Highway 35 in Goodrich happened across a what is possibly the biggest illegal marijuana field in Texas history. The field was complete with a camp and sophisticated growing system, with quality water pumps leading out of a nearby creek. The hunter notified the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and investigators converged on the property a short time later. According to Polk County Chief Deputy, Byron Lyons, the investigators will be looking for fingerprints and other forensic evidence in an effort to find those responsible for the illegal grow.
On Monday morning, all branches of local law enforcement arrived to help uproot the plants. Deputies from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Officers from Livingston Police Department, Polk County Constables, Investigators with the Texas Department of Public Safety, and assistance from law enforcement from surrounding counties (including Harris County) were all present, along with inmates from the Polk County Jail. A DPS helicopter was put to use to help locate other possible growths, and did in fact locate four more large fields of marijuana.
Chief Deputy Byron Lyons stated that such large operations are not just a Polk County problem. More dealers are choosing to grow their marijuana within our borders citing that it’s much easier than transporting the contraband into the USA and the added risk of getting caught at the border. Lyons also stated that operations similar to this one are more than likely a problem throughout East Texas.
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