Baltimore police officers ripped up and confiscated 63 mature marijuana plants yesterday from Gwynns Falls Park, in a spot near a stream and so secluded that they could be seen only by officers overhead in a helicopter, authorities said.
Sgt. Osborne Robinson, head of the Gwynns Falls trail unit, said each 6-foot-tall plant, neatly planted in rows and attached to stakes, can produce about 1 pound of marijuana, each worth about $1,000, he said.
Robinson said officers also found gardening tools and a bucket - apparently used to haul water from the stream - secured under a tarp. He said the tools are made of wood, making obtaining fingerprints a near impossibility.
Police said an observer in the helicopter unit first spotted the plants two weeks ago and notified Robinson. His officers were at first unable to find them. On Monday, Robinson said, he was in the area again and requested another helicopter flyover. The observer again found the plants, and Osborne said he went in to get them yesterday.
