By KRWG News
Socorro – Police have pulled more than 1,500 marijuana plants from along the Rio Grande in the Socorro area.
The drug bust has been in the works for about two months. Detectives say a citizen spotted some of the plants and called police.
Socorro Police Detective Richard Lopez says the marijuana operation was very elaborate and sophisticated. It included solar panels, water pumps, batteries and hundreds of yards of hose at three crop sites along the river. All of the equipment was run off of timers.
The largest site was found just north of Socorro. The brush was so thick, a National Guard helicopter was used Saturday to carry most of the plants and equipment out of the area.
No arrests have been made, but authorities say it appears people had camped at the sites.
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Information from: KRQE-TV, http://www.krqe.com
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.