Between 18 and 20 marijuana plants were confiscated from a field east of Joyce by the Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team as part of a five-day operation that ended Friday.
Trained investigators, using only binoculars, spotted the plants from the air, said Ron Cameron, Clallam County chief criminal deputy and commander of OPNET.
The operation, which began Monday, was conducted in rural areas throughout Clallam County and parts of East Jefferson County via two helicopters, Cameron said.
The helicopters were flying as low as 750 feet above the ground while doing the searches, he added.
Since the operation was the first of its kind on the North Olympic Peninsula in four years, he had expected to find more marijuana plants in the woods.
“I don’t want to say it’s disappointing,” he said.
“Maybe it’s a good thing we didn’t find more.
“There may be less people growing it.”
