The Long County Sheriff’s Office impounded and destroyed 49 marijuana plants last week in the Tibet community.

According to Lt. Danny Dinkins, the sheriff’s office, in conjunction with the Governor’s Task Force for Drug Suppression and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, began intensive anti-drug operations last week.

“After we (identified) some areas that we believed to be hot spots, an aerial search began … from the air, one of the areas that we believed to possibly have some plants was identified,” LCSO Lt. Craig Nobles said.

The sheriff’s office and the assisting agencies went to a location off Butter Davis Road at around 10:30 a.m. May 10 and found the plants. Dinkins said the confiscation will keep up to 49 pounds of marijuana off the streets because each plant has the potential to produce one pound of the illegal drug.

“We appreciate very much the help of the Governor’s Task Force and DNR. Locating and keeping these drugs off the streets shows what can be done when agencies work well together,” Nobles said.

On May 5, Dinkins said, four marijuana plants were found on Jason Lane in the Rye Patch community. Authorities made an arrest and charged the alleged producer with manufacturing marijuana. Dinkins said that because the suspect may be linked to a separate investigation, authorities cannot release the suspect’s name at this time.

In March, Dinkins said, Long County resident Ricky Taylor, 52, also was charged with manufacturing marijuana after authorities reportedly found 19 plants at his Alma Flournoy Road residence.

In another case, Cpt. Nickey Anderson reported that Walthourville resident Richard Allen Gordon, 27, was arrested by Sgt. Shane Middleton and Deputy Robert Poppell on May 5 after the suspect allegedly cut a female on her neck with a carpenter’s knife.

Anderson said Gordon recently had been released from prison and was on probation when the alleged incident occurred. Anderson said Gordon was charged with aggravated assault with a knife and is back in jail awaiting a preliminary hearing.