To search for drugs, officers take flight

Like other Missouri State Highway Patrol officers, state troopers Jim Wilson and Bryan Arnold each carry a Glock service pistol with 46 rounds, and a baton.

They each drive a Ford Crown Victoria police interceptor or Chevrolet Impala 9C1, which, like every highway patrol car, comes equipped with a shotgun, an M-16 rifle, a gas mask, road spikes and a giant binder of Patrol rules.

For six months out of the year, though, Wilson and Arnold aren't like other state troopers.

They spend their days in an OH58 military-style chopper piloted by the National Guard, scanning the ground as the helicopter circles rural areas of Cape Girardeau County and surrounding counties at speeds of 120 mph.

What they're searching for is marijuana.

Officials clear out a growth of marijuana found by search helicopters. (Submitted photo)

As part of Troop E's marijuana eradication team, their job involves performing air surveillance on areas of Southeast Missouri where police suspect there may be a marijuana-growing operation.

"We work off tips," Arnold said during an Oct. 4 interview at Cape Girardeau Regional Airport.

While there is a state hot line, 800-223-9333, where callers are encouraged to anonymously report marijuana-growing activities in their area, Arnold said it hasn't been successful in past years, leaving them to rely mostly on tips from confidential informants.

Once they receive information that someone may be growing and selling marijuana or discover a "patch" through routine air patrol, they set up daily surveillance, which can last anywhere from a few days to six weeks, Arnold said.

John and Kathryn Trimble, a Burfordville couple who were arrested last week in connection with growing marijuana, were under surveillance for about three weeks, Arnold said.

From there, they just try to "make contact and make the case," Arnold said.

The Drug Enforcement Administration funded the first marijuana eradication programs in Hawaii and California in 1979 to combat the battle against domestically grown marijuana, the only illegal drug grown on U.S. soil, according to the DEA.

Three years later, the DEA had established programs in 25 states.

By 1985, every state in the country was operating marijuana eradication teams.

Nationwide, these teams -- usually supported by National Guard pilots and equipment -- were responsible for the seizure of more than 5 million marijuana plants in 2006, a haul worth more than $77.3 million.

According to the DEA, the aggressive approach to cultivated marijuana has forced many growers to turn indoors to smaller illicit gardens that can be better concealed.

Each state police troop in Missouri has its own designated team. In the past year, the state has led Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and South Dakota in amount of contraband seized by the eradication teams.

Troop E brought in hauls including 1,546 cultivated plants, 2.3 million "wild" plants, 19 pounds of processed marijuana and 103 firearms. It arrested 19 people on 72 felony charges and four federal charges.

The involvement of the National Guard is limited to operating the helicopter and assisting with information gathering, often using counter drug intelligence methods, but they do not participate in the actual police work, Wilson said.

The military helicopter comes equipped with a sophisticated video recording system, and the use of thermography is generally employed by eradication teams to detect the unique heat signatures given off by marijuana plants.

The best equipment they have is still their eyes, Arnold said.

They constantly watch for signs of activity, movement on the ground, people going back and forth to tend the patch, vehicles parked in an unusual place, even a footpath worn into the brush, anything to signify someone is taking care of the marijuana.

"It has certain basic needs like any other plant," said Wilson, who explained they look for spots with optimal growing conditions like ample sunlight, fertile soil and access to water, when they're in the air.

"They do everything they can to hide 'em, and we do everything we can to find 'em," Wilson said.

Though the helicopter the team uses comes equipped with night surveillance equipment, both troopers said they prefer to work during the day so they can get home to their families at a decent hour.

They also avoid flying during early morning hours and late afternoon, when shadows will interfere with their ability to spot the distinctive leaf pattern they're trying to find.

And, like any other drug enforcement team, it's not unusual to spend a 16-hour workday scouring the earth, only to return empty-handed.

"Some days you get lucky, some days you don't," Wilson said.

bdicosmo@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 245