Police stumble on 4,000 marijuana trees while chasing Aripo bandits

POLICE destroyed approximately 4,000 marijuana trees they found while chasing three suspected teenage bandits in Aripo.

On November 8, at around 7.30 am, police responded to a report of robbery in progress at Smithfield Lands.

They arrived in time to see three people leaving the home.

On seeing the police, the bandits shot at them before running off as the officers shot back.

Police cordoned off the area and were able to find and arrest one suspect while officers pursued the others into a nearby forested area.

Police on a joint operation in the area joined in the search and, during the chase, found a marijuana field with approximately 4,000 fully-grown marijuana plants with an estimated value of $2,400,000.

They destroyed the plants, but no one was arrested in connection with the find.

Police later found the other suspects, two teenage brothers from Valencia.

Meanwhile, police in Diego Martin found and destroyed 100 trees during an exercise on November 9.

A party of officers, acting on information, hiked almost three miles into a forested area off Good Session Drive, Patna Village, Diego Martin.

They searched the area and found a black bulletproof vest hidden under a heap of dry leaves.

They widened their search and found approximately 100 fully grown marijuana trees, which they uprooted and destroyed.

During the search, one officer had to be taken to hospital after he fell and injured his knee.

No one was arrested in connection with the find.