HARTSVILLE, Tenn. -- Investigators described a marijuana-growing operation discovered inside a cave in Trousdale County as something out of a James Bond movie.
"It's pretty amazing what they had under there -- water for irrigation, special lighting, devices to keep the humidity just right. These guys were professionals. They knew what they were doing," said District Attorney General Tommy Thompson of Hartsville.
The cave was beneath a stylish A-frame home where authorities say three men were able to grow as much as 100 pounds of marijuana every eight weeks.
"They could grow in 60 days what it would take four and a half months to grow outside," Thompson said. "It's just unbelievable what they've done. It's like something out of a James Bond movie."
Arrested on Wednesday were Brian Gibson and Greg Compton, while a third man, Fred Strunk, was arrested near Gainesville, Fla.
All three are in jail, with Gibson and Compton being held in the Trousdale County Jail. Bail was set for Gibson and Compton at $5 million, while Strunk's was set at $15 million, Thompson said. Local authorities were in Florida on Saturday to return Strunk to Tennessee.
The investigation began about five years ago when a home was built above the cave, but it never appeared anyone lived there, Thompson said.
"The front of the cave used to be a hole that you'd crawl into, and it opened up into a pretty big room that was 20-feet high. They cut the side of the hill so you could just drive right into the cave," he said.
The cave, reached from the house via secret entrances, is said to be about two miles long, but the marijuana operation was located about 100 yards inside. Thompson said the other end of the cave had been blocked to keep trespassers out.
According to the prosecutor, the men told locals they were going to be mining statuary rock.
To harvest the illegal crop, Thompson said the men would hire a half-dozen Hispanic workers in Arizona and drive them to Tennessee. For part of the journey the windows on the van would be covered so the workers did not know where they were.
"They would drive right into the cave and let them out to begin working," Thompson said.
From the outside, the house looks like a beautiful vacation home, but investigators say it was just a prop and what it concealed is right out the movies.
More than 1,000 marijuana plants were grown deep underground.
The house was built on top of the natural cave, but investigators say no one lived there. It wasn't even furnished. But inside the house there is a secret passageway into the cave.
The interior of the house is just on the other side of the door. A corridor leads from the hidden doorway into the cave. The corridor has cinderblock walls and a concrete ceiling and floor.
The 40 foot long sloping corridor leads into the cave that stretches 250 feet. There are offices, living quarters, and a growing area.
The office space comes first, then a living area furnished with three or four colorful bunk beds for camping out in the cave, and a restroom with a shower and plenty of toiletries. Behind the restroom is a kitchen with a fully stocked pantry, air conditioning and microwave. All the comforts of home, only this cave was all business.
A starter room houses 500 to 600 small marijuana plants. Each just about six to 12 inches tall.
The next area has plants nearly ready to harvest. 500 to 600 plants as tall as six feet. Each had its own irrigation system. The lights and climate control kept the air at the perfect temperature: 87 degrees.
Just behind the growing area is the work space with all the equipment to keep the operation running. And in case the growers had to make a run for it, they built an escape route. It’s 150 yards from the cave to the surface.
A hydraulic jack lifts a trap door, which is hidden with a boulder. The escape hatch lets out just a few steps away from the home where anyone driving by would have no idea what lies beneath.
Three men are charged with growing marijuana in that cave. None of them actually lives in Middle Tennessee, and investigators don't think the drugs were sold in Trousdale County. Investigators say the men were growing enough marijuana to make $6 million to $8 million a year.
Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2004 1:03 am Posts: 24177 Location: Australia
jacktor wrote:
Bail was set for Gibson and Compton at $5 million, while Strunk's was set at $15 million, Thompson said.
are they that much of a danger to society/themselves?
_________________ Oh, the flowers of indulgence and the weeds of yesteryear, Like criminals, they have choked the breath of conscience and good cheer. The sun beat down upon the steps of time to light the way To ease the pain of idleness and the memory of decay.
Good on you, boys. That's a masterful operation. I hope they can afford a good brief; hopefully he'll be tearing strips out of some anti-drug cops in court soon.
_________________
denverapolis wrote:
it's a confirmed fact that orangutans are nature's ninja.
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 3:02 pm Posts: 10690 Location: Lost in Twilight's Blue
Quick Batman, to the Dope Cave!
_________________ Scared to say what is your passion, So slag it all, Bitter's in fashion, Fear of failure's all you've started, The jury is in, verdict: Retarded
Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2004 5:51 am Posts: 17078 Location: TX
stuzzo wrote:
Good on you, boys. That's a masterful operation. I hope they can afford a good brief; hopefully he'll be tearing strips out of some anti-drug cops in court soon.
I don't see how any anti-drug cop will have strips torn out of them in court. They see it as a victory, and as witty as the guys may be, they still got arrested and it won't be too funny when they are thrown in jail for 20 years. Regardless of who they make think twice in the court room.
Good on you, boys. That's a masterful operation. I hope they can afford a good brief; hopefully he'll be tearing strips out of some anti-drug cops in court soon.
I don't see how any anti-drug cop will have strips torn out of them in court. They see it as a victory, and as witty as the guys may be, they still got arrested and it won't be too funny when they are thrown in jail for 20 years. Regardless of who they make think twice in the court room.
You're right. It is the US after all.
_________________
denverapolis wrote:
it's a confirmed fact that orangutans are nature's ninja.
Joined: Thu Dec 16, 2004 1:54 am Posts: 7189 Location: CA
superklye wrote:
vacatetheword wrote:
jacktor wrote:
Bail was set for Gibson and Compton at $5 million, while Strunk's was set at $15 million, Thompson said.
are they that much of a danger to society/themselves?
I have a feeling it's because they really want to put these guys away. If they got bailed out, they'd be out of the country in 20 seconds.
On that topic: if these gentlemen were to flee to say the Netherlands, would they not be safe as pot is legal over there and hence un-extraditable. I do like my new word.
Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2004 5:51 am Posts: 17078 Location: TX
simple schoolboy wrote:
superklye wrote:
vacatetheword wrote:
jacktor wrote:
Bail was set for Gibson and Compton at $5 million, while Strunk's was set at $15 million, Thompson said.
are they that much of a danger to society/themselves?
I have a feeling it's because they really want to put these guys away. If they got bailed out, they'd be out of the country in 20 seconds.
On that topic: if these gentlemen were to flee to say the Netherlands, would they not be safe as pot is legal over there and hence un-extraditable. I do like my new word.
It depends. Does the Netherlands provide amnesty(I think that is the right word) from the U.S.? Somehow I doubt it.
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are they that much of a danger to society/themselves?
