VIPD officers, above, on St. Croix seized more than 1,000 marijuana plants from both indoor and outdoor crops, below.
V.I. Police Department officials on St. Croix conducted a live training operation on Monday, July 18, with the support of other law enforcement partners on the ground and in the air.
VIPD confiscated more than 1,000 marijuana plants from various outdoor locations on the island. One person was arrested for cultivating an indoor marijuana grow.
The operation began about 8 a.m. with a helicopter in the air, VIPD Special Operations Bureau officers, DEA, U.S. Marshalls, and Customs and Border Patrol agents on the ground. Officers spanned the island from east to west.
“Since the bird is in the air, if we spot any thing we’ll dispatch the officers on the ground,” said St. Croix Police Chief Christopher Howell, who led the operation.
More than 1,000 marijuana plants were uprooted and seized from plots in Estates Tortola, Smithfield, Hogensberg, Tipperary and La Grange. No arrests were made in these seizures, police said, adding that investigations are still on going.
Officers in the helicopter observed suspicious activity in Estate Grove Place and requested a search and arrest warrant from the Attorney General’s office.
As a result, 63-year-old Bertran McIntosh was arrested and charged with cultivating an indoor grow. Approximately 35 marijuana plants at least 7 feet tall each and growing equipment were confiscated.
McIntosh was charged with Possession of Controlled Substances with intent to Distribute. His bail was set at $10,000 and he was remanded to the Golden Grove Adult Correctional Facility pending further court action.
Chief Howell said the operation was a success and the partnership of local and federal law enforcement was an “effective cooperative effort.”
