FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) -- Kentucky State Police troopers will step up their annual marijuana eradication efforts this week, searching from helicopters and on the ground for clandestine crops.
Lt. Brent Roper, head of the state police marijuana eradication team, said the troopers will begin with two days of training on how to spot marijuana from the air and how to avoid booby traps on the ground.
Several agencies join with the state police to search out and destroy marijuana crops, including the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Forestry Service and the Kentucky National Guard.
Last year, authorities eradicated nearly $800 million worth of marijuana and made 371 arrests in Kentucky.
The counties where the most marijuana was destroyed were Wayne, Knox, Bell, Lee, Knott, Casey, Monroe, Pike, Harlan and Leslie.
