MADRID, N.M. (AP) -- Firefighters battling a lightning-sparked blaze near Madrid stumbled on a marijuana plantation, the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Department said.
Deputies responded to the initial call from firefighters late Saturday and returned to the area the following day with a search warrant.
They found about 500 marijuana plants scattered among pinon trees on private land off N.M. 14.
Deputies are trying to find out if the landowners or others were responsible for the plants, which were hooked up to a sophisticated drip irrigation system fed by large water tanks.
''We are nearing the time of the year when these types of marijuana fields are peaking in growth and ready to be harvested,'' Sheriff Greg Solano said Monday.
Members of the sheriff's department, a regional drug task force and the National Guard spent up to 17 hours removing the plants and the irrigation system.
Solano said his office is beginning a ''weed and seed'' operation in which authorities will use National Guard helicopters and other techniques to find marijuana fields.
