1,805 Marijuana Plants Seized in Kauai Bust

By Wendy Osher

Foothold trap. Photo courtesy Kauai County.

More than 1,800 marijuana plants were recovered in a multi-agency eradication effort on Kaua’i last week. The plants ranged in size from seedlings to mature plants, four-feet in height.

Authorities also seized two foothold traps located at the grow site during the three-day Operation Green Harvest. A foothold trap is a spring loaded device that closes around the foot when stepped on, causing significant injury.

As a result of the investigation, a single arrest was made for Commercial Promotion of a Detrimental Drug.

Kaua’i Police Chief Darryl Perry said that while the Green Harvest mission can be a controversial one, the ultimate goal is to get drugs off the streets.   “We are in an ongoing battle against drugs and any time we can obstruct the illegal cultivation of marijuana it is considered a success,” said Chief Perry.

The joint effort included coordination between the Kaua’i Police Department,  the Kaua’i and Big Island branches of the State Department of Land and Natural Resources, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Honolulu Police Department, the Maui Police Department, the State Narcotics Enforcement Division and the U.S. Coast Guard.