CUMBERLAND – A cooperative investigation between the Cumberland and Buckingham Sheriff's Offices and the Virginia State Police has led to a large marijuana grow operation discovery in Cumberland County, according to Cumberland Sheriff Darrell Hodges.

“We ended up executing two search warrants in Cumberland County,” explained Cumberland Sheriff Darrell Hodges to The Herald on Thursday morning about the operation that took place on Wednesday, December 21.

The marijuana and equipment Hodges said were seized has an estimated street value of approximately $700,000, said the Sheriff, about the agent's estimate.

“This is one of the largest grow operations that I have ever been a part of,” said the Sheriff. “I know there were over 200 and some plants in one of the residence… The largest one I've ever known of in Cumberland County and definitely the largest one I've ever been a part of since I've been sheriff.”

The operation started “around lunch time” on Wednesday and ended around 6 p.m., Hodges noted.

“One was on the southern end of the county,” he said about the two locations in Cumberland, “and the other was in the central area.”

Hodges stated, as a result of the operation, “there were multiple people arrested and multiple charges.”