Vermont's Independent Voice
Browse News
Browse Arts + Culture
Browse Food + Drink
Browse Cannabis
Browse Music
Browse On Screen
Browse Events
Browse Classifieds
Browse Personals
Published October 3, 2007 at 4:38 p.m. | Updated October 5, 2017 at 10:01 p.m.
MILTON — Modern technology has facilitated almost all aspects of life, including marijuana cultivation. And while it may help growers produce some of the best — and most expensive — weed around, it hasn’t stopped the feds from finding their crops. The cops have new gadgets, too.
Benjamin Bernick, 33, formerly of Hinesburg, pled guilty last Tuesday to growing more than 100 pot plants last fall at a vacant home on Westford Road in Milton, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Vermont office.
When Drug Enforcement Agency agents stormed the home last September, they found 131 pot plants and 120 clones, court records show. The search revealed a high-tech growing operation that included carbon dioxide tanks and monitoring gauges, motorized track lighting, humidifiers and dehumidifiers, air-conditioning units and fans. Agents also found a complex system of motion-activated video cameras inside and outside the home. The cameras were wired to a laptop that broadcast a live video feed inside Bernick’s Hinesburg home.
Agents value his high-potency strains of pot at $6000 per pound. Bernick could face up to 40 years in prison and a $2000 fine. He is scheduled for sentencing January 10.
More By This Author
Speaking of...
-
Burlington Cannabis Shop to Close, Citing Saturated Market
Oct 1, 2024 -
College Cannabis Course Is Growing Vermont's Weed Workforce
Aug 28, 2024 -
Burlingtonians Adapt as Drug Use and Safety Concerns Rise
Aug 14, 2024 -
Cannabis Company Could Lose License for Using Banned Pesticide
May 7, 2024 -
'Cannasations' Podcaster Kris Brown Aims to 'Humanize' Vermont’s Weed Culture
Apr 17, 2024 - More »
Comments
Comments are closed.
From 2014-2020, Seven Days allowed readers to comment on all stories posted on our website. While we've appreciated the suggestions and insights, right now Seven Days is prioritizing our core mission — producing high-quality, responsible local journalism — over moderating online debates between readers.
To criticize, correct or praise our reporting, please send us a letter to the editor or send us a tip. We’ll check it out and report the results.
Online comments may return when we have better tech tools for managing them. Thanks for reading.
