ZURICH, Switzerland — Swiss police said Thursday they stumbled across a large marijuana plantation while using Google Earth, the search engine company’s satellite mapping software.
Police said the find was part of a bigger investigation that led to the arrest of 16 people and seizure of 1.2 tons of marijuana as well as cash and valuables worth $780,000.
Officers found the hemp field in the northeastern canton of Thurgau last year while investigating an alleged drug ring, said the head of Zurich police’s specialist narcotics unit Norbert Klossner.
The plantation, measuring almost two acres, was hidden in a field of corn. But officers using Google Earth to locate the address of farmers suspected of involvement in the drug operation quickly spotted the illegal crop.
“It was an interesting chance discovery,” said Klossner.
The gang is alleged to have sold up to 7.7 tons of hashish and marijuana between 2004 and 2008, officials said.
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