MT. GOULD – Bertie County Sheriff John Holley received a pair of tips that led him to more than 100 marijuana plants here Monday afternoon.

“I received information from a confidential informant several weeks ago that there were marijuana plants growing somewhere in that area, but they didn’t have an exact location,” Sheriff Holly said. “Monday afternoon, I received a call from another person who told me exactly where they were.”

Sheriff Holley and three of his deputies – Det. Sgt. Kenny Gilliam, Det. Blake Mizelle and Deputy Frank Radcliffe – went to the specified area on Nixon Road and located the plants. The four men then removed the plants from the field.

The 100-plus plants were nearing maturity, according to officers and could have been harvested in a short time. Some of the plants were more than eight feet tall.

The street value of the plants is approximately $750 per plant, but officers said because the plants were being maintained, including fertilization, they could have netted even more money.

Sheriff Holley said there was a suspect in the case and they were attempting to locate the person to speak with them. Because no warrants have been drawn or charges made, the person’s name was not released.

The Sheriff’s Office will continue to search that area in case there are additional plants being grown.

“We’re going to keep checking in other areas around Nixon Road,” Sheriff Holley said. “We believe there could be more plants in the area.”

The sheriff said he was appreciative of the information he received in this case and the work of the other officers involved.

He also requested additional information from the community.

“Anyone with information on drug activity is welcome to call me or anyone in my office,” Sheriff Holley said. “We’re not looking for your name; we are looking for the information.

“We have been getting a lot of information from the community, but we want more,” he said. “I’m here to do a job and that’s what I’m going to do.”