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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Federal law enforcers says drug cartels could have plans to expand the kind of marijuana growing operations discovered in rural Utah this year.
Beginning in August, more than 90,000 pot plants were discovered by agents across Utah. The last seizure was Oct. 18 when deer hunters found a pot farm in Sanpete County.
Seven people accused of tending the fields have been arrested.
Scott Burns, the deputy "drug czar" for the U.S. National Drug Control Policy says large-scale drug traffickers are behind the farms. DEA officials say the plants were likely destined for sale in metropolitan areas outside the state.
Burns says the cartels may have moved into Utah because of its suitable climate and proximity to California and Mexico.
Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
