Sept. 12 , 2006

 

WELL KEPT FIELD OF MARIJUANA
STOOD OUT FROM A DISTANCE

TOPEKA, KAN. – Even from the air, it was obvious to a Kansas Highway Patrol pilot that 258 emerald-green marijuana plants growing 12 to 14 feet high in a field in Osage County were being cultivated.

On Monday, Robin Dean Murphy, 38, Quenemo, Kan., admitted that the marijuana plants growing in the field in 2003 belonged to him. During a hearing before U.S. District Judge Sam A. Crow, Murphy entered a plea of guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute approximately 258 marijuana plants.

“At sentencing, Mr. Murphy will be facing a statutory sentence of 5 to 40 years in federal prison,” said U.S. Attorney Eric Melgren.

Acting on information provided by the pilot – including GPS readings – troopers quickly located the plot. They noted pathways leading into and out of the patch as well as paths worn between the plants. The plants were bright green, unlike naturally occurring hemp. The soil was damp, suggesting frequent watering. Additionally, male plants had been removed, a trick used by marijuana growers to cause female plants to produce more THC.

Electronic monitoring devices installed in the plot recorded Murphy visiting the plot. He was caught on tape driving a tractor with a watering tank into the field of plants, as well as removing plants from the field. Investigators interviewed Murphy at a house near the marijuana plot, where a search turned up marijuana that was hung up to dry in a machine shed on the property.

Sentencing is set for Dec. 5. Murphy faces a penalty of not less than 5 years and not more than 40 years in a federal prison as well as a fine up to $2 million.

The Kansas Highway Patrol and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Hough prosecuted.

 

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