A TEN-HOUR drug eradication exercise in the Berbice River has led to the destruction of thousands marijuana plants from different fields in the community of Gatetroy and DeVeldt in the Berbice River on Thursday.

The operation, which was spearheaded by a senior officer along with a party of ranks in the division and officers from the Narcotics Branch, CID headquarters, was one of several that have been ongoing to halt the supply of the illicit drugs throughout the country.

According to police, 10 fields and 251 banks measuring 42 feet by 20 feet with approximately 211,220 cannabis sativa plants ranging from two to six feet in height were discovered in the operation at De Veldt, Berbice River in three different areas.

Further, five camps were also discovered along with a drying area. In one of the camps, approximately 2,500 pounds of dried cannabis were found. Additionally, a search of a nearby clump of bushes resulted in the discovery of a Maverick 12-gauge shotgun along with 49 live 12-guage cartridges. A nursery with approximately 200,000 seedlings was also found.

The police, in a statement, put the estimated weight of the dried and eradicated cannabis at 337,263 kilogrammes with an estimated value of several billion dollars, based on approved pricing used.

The suspected cannabis and camps were burnt on site. The firearm and ammunition, along with a cellular phone found were taken into custody and lodged pending further investigation.

Recently, the police have been consistent in their efforts to halt the supply of the drug countrywide. For the year, thus far, in the Berbice River, several marijuana fields worth billions of dollar have been destroyed.

However, in the Berbice River, police have encountered some challenges. Whenever law enforcement officials visit the various cultivation locations, the cultivators are nowhere to be found.