Police Uncover ‘Significant’ Marijuana Farm In Botsford

By Andrew Gorosko

During an investigation into the illegal cultivation of marijuana, state police and town police on July 21 removed more than 200 marijuana plants that were found growing in the vicinity of an old sand and gravel mine off Button Shop Road in Botsford.

State police spokesman Lieutenant J. Paul Vance said this week, “We seized a number of marijuana plants during the ‘eradication process’…more than 200 plants.”

The eradication process to which he refers involves pulling marijuana plants out of the ground.

The lieutenant on July 29 termed the volume of plants found to be “a significant number.” He said it is unclear how much money the plants would be worth had they been processed and offered for sale on the illegal drug market.

The investigation into the marijuana farming is being conducted by the state police’s Statewide Narcotics Task Force, with the assistance of Newtown police, Lt Vance said. Newtown police have an undercover police officer participating in that drug unit.

“We have to investigate to identify the perpetrators,” the lieutenant said of the police probe into the presence of the marijuana at the sprawling site, which contains a variety of terrain and many ponds.

If probable cause is found, indicating that crimes were committed, police would seek a warrant or warrants from court to make arrests.

The lieutenant declined to provide details about the investigation, saying that police do not want to compromise their probe. The investigation is ongoing and not yet complete, he said. The investigation has been underway for several weeks, he added. Lt Vance declined to disclose how police learned of the marijuana farming.

“The investigation will take us where it takes us,” Lt Vance said. “We are making progress,” he added.

According to police incident logs, on the morning of July 21, three town police officers were dispatched to aid state police at 9 Button Shop Road.

Also, on that morning, Sandy Hook firefighters were called to provide the use of their all-terrain vehicle (ATV) at the sand and gravel mine, apparently in conjunction with the police investigation into the  marijuana found there.