SOME 20,00 marijuana or ‘ganja’ plants, the cultivation of which spanned some three and a half acres of land, were destroyed by ranks of the Guyana Police Force during an eradication exercise at Cow Savannah, Canje River, Berbice on Friday.

According to Police Headquarters, a party of policemen were greeted by two gun-toting males when they arrived at the location to conduct the eradication exercise; the men ran into some bushes while opening fire as police gave chase.

The police returned fire; no one was hurt and the men eventually disappeared.

Meanwhile, when the officers returned to the area, a marijuana field measuring about three and a half acres, with about 20,000 marijuana plants ranging from four to eight inches in height, were discovered.

The police also discovered two camps which, when searched, unearthed two live 12-gauge cartridges, one Stihl chainsaw, one Stihl weeding machine, one Evinrude outboard engine, one water pump, a quantity of substance suspected to be dry cannabis and seeds.

Police said that the camps and marijuana plants, dry cannabis and seeds were all destroyed while the other items were lodged at the Central Police Station, New Amsterdam.