Police smoke out marijuana farmer

Police smoke out marijuana farmer

PADANG, West Sumatra: Police in Tanah Datar regency, West Sumatra, have discovered a one-hectare marijuana plantation, but failed to arrest the owner of the illicit crop.

The finding last Friday was the greatest in 10 years, said the euphoric deputy West Sumatra Police chief Sr. Comr. Pudjianto Hadi on Tuesday in the provincial capital of Padang.

He said his members also discovered at least 40 large, bushy marijuana plants in the regency of 50 Kota four months ago.

Pudjianto said the police were searching for Uyunefri, a 40- year-old local farmer, who somehow managed to escape arrest after the officers took possession of his field on the slopes of Mount Merapi in Tanah Datar.

The finding followed a tipoff from local residents, who reported the presence of the cannabis to the nearby police station in Salimpaung subdistrict. --JP