Freddie White, the drug-dog handler for the Perry County sheriff's office, pleaded guilty in February to possession with the intent to distribute marijuana, as well as other drug charges. Johnny Mann, former Lee County sheriff, is serving a 24-year federal sentence for a 1991 conviction for accepting bribes to protect marijuana and cocaine smuggling. Law enforcement officers also acknowledge that the millions of dollars generated by illegal marijuana sales are bolstering legitimate businesses. In 1990, after 100,000 plants were eradicated in Leslie County, there were widespread stories of grocery stores and car dealerships nearly going bankrupt, Sizemore said. They usually have expensive toys.
Public lands are popular places to plant marijuana patches.
By planting on government property, growers avoid forfeiture laws and make it more difficult to track the grower. Roution said marijuana growers often carry firearms, plant animal traps and steal each other's bounty. In 1994, three eastern Kentucky men were killed by their own booby traps at a marijuana patch in Breathitt County. The repercussions of it, the tragedy and all the stuff that goes with the drug trade, it's no means romantic or glamourous. E-mail this story to a friend.