Monday was a busy day for law enforcement personnel in Northeast Georgia, as cooperation between agencies in two states resulted in the recovery of more than 560 marijuana plants and an arrest.
“Franklin County Authorities raided a fortified concrete structure that had reinforced doors with keypad entry, along with a state-of-the-art alarm and surveillance system,” according to Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokesman Bahan Rich. “Franklin County Authorities found 556 marijuana plants in various stages of growth along with an elaborate watering and lighting system that was attached to tracks suspended from the ceiling. These tracks allowed the lighting system to move and evenly distribute light and heat to each plant. The lights were controlled by a timer. Some of the plants were hydrated through an automatic system and some had to be watered by hand.”
The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office, South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division, and Georgia Department of Public Safety executed search warrants in Franklin County, then SLED and Oconee County Sheriff’s Office (South Carolina) executed a search warrant at the home of Wesley B. Lothery in Fair Play, S.C., where authorities found nine marijuana plants along with various items used in a grow operation, according to Rich.
“This was a four-month joint investigation into a sophisticated marijuana grow operation that is believed to have operated for approximately five years on an abandoned dairy farm in rural Franklin County,” Rich’s statement reads.
That investigation identified Lothery as the caretaker of the marijuana grow operation in Franklin County.
Street value of the marijuana plants is $565,000, according to Rich.
Lothery faces charges in Georgia of trafficking in marijuana and manufacturing marijuana.
In South Carolina, Lothery is charged with manufacturing marijuana and possession of a controlled substance (Lortab). He was booked into the Oconee County Detention Center in South Carolina initially.
Rich said Georgia authorities also have seized three financial accounts associated with the investigation.
“This is an active investigation and additional arrests are expected,” Rich said.
The Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office is a multi-agency unit that consists of sheriff’s offices in Banks, Franklin, Habersham, Jackson, Lumpkin, Rabun, Stephens, Towns and White counties, along with police departments in Cleveland, Lavonia and Toccoa, the Georgia National Guard Counter Drug Task Force, the Georgia Department of Public Safety and the GBI.
