State game wardens and other law enforcement officers have raided what they describe as an illegal large-scale marijuana growing operation in a remote area of West Texas.
A Texas Parks and Wildlife Department statement Friday says about 40,000 marijuana plants worth millions of dollars were seized at the scene situated on a ranch in eastern Menard County, about 200 miles northwest of Austin.
Game wardens spotted the operation initially while making an aerial patrol of the county. Officials say the site featured substantial infrastructure, including camps and irrigation facilities.
Col. Craig Hunter, director of the Parks and Wildlife Law Enforcement Division, says game wardens have encountered armed guards protecting the sites, as well as discarded firearms.
There were no immediate reports of arrests.
