Nashville, Tennessee --- A Tennessee Highway Patrol helicopter pilot, working with the Governor’s Task Force for Marijuana Eradication, spotted marijuana plants in a Cocke County cornfield Monday valued at half a million dollars.

THP Aviation Lieutenant Terry Botts located the marijuana field five miles east of Newport as part of a routine search. Members of the Tennessee Highway Patrol, T-B-I, Tennessee National Guard, Alcoholic Beverage Commission and the Cocke County Sheriff’s Office are part of the Governor’s Task Force for Marijuana Eradication, funded by the D-E-A.

It is the largest harvest in Cocke County this year and perhaps the largest marijuana eradication in Tennessee this summer. The more than 45-hundred plants, ranging in height from eight to 15 feet tall, were collected and taken to the Cocke County Highway Department, where they were destroyed Monday evening.

Lt. Botts is a 30-year veteran of the THP and has served in Special Operations as an aviation pilot since 1990. Botts spotted the plants at approximately 1:30 p.m. Monday and guided law enforcement officers on the ground to the illegal patches.

The Tennessee Department of Safety's mission is (www.tennessee.gov/safety) to ensure the safety and general welfare of the public. The department encompasses the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Office of Homeland Security and Driver License Services. General areas of responsibility include law enforcement, safety education, motorist services and terrorism prevention.