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Sandra Yi ReportingThousands of marijuana plants are now in police evidence after they were pulled from a mountainside in Big Cottonwood Canyon.
A tip led police to the pot farm growing in the Mineral Fork area. One of five suspects involved in the operation is now in custody.
Marvin Hendrickson/Salt Lake County Council Member: "I must admit that this is the most incredible farm that I've ever seen."
Marvin Hendrickson got a close look. The farm is in the county councilman's district.
A hunter discovered the pot farm last week in a remote area near Mineral Fork. Authorities say it was several hundred yards long and fifty to sixty yards wide and well hidden in rough terrain. Eighty-eight hundred plants were starting to grow.
Sgt. Mike Lloyd/Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office: "It's a large farm. If you recall we had one last year. We had seven small ones combined that equaled about 4500 plants so it's a large farm."
Large and elaborate. Hendrickson says four twigs surrounded each plant and fiber netting kept bugs away.
Marvin Hendrickson: "And on the end of each one of those plants is a drip system so that the water from wherever the source was is dropping into virtually every one of those thousands of plants."
This morning one suspect was arrested as authorities collected evidence. It took them more than eight hours to dismantle the operation. This marijuana farm is now gone but there could be more.
Marvin Hendrickson: "I don't think there's any question that any time we find one we know there's more. This is just the tip of the iceberg.”
The plants collected will be used for evidence or destroyed. The suspects face federal drug charges.
