Moose Leads Police To Pot-Growing Operation

Vermont police officers who were chasing a moose were inadvertently led to a pot-growing operation.

The animal first showed up in the parking lot of an area business on Saturday. The moose proved to be quite a bit to handle, prompting a number of law enforcement officials to work together.

The officers attempted to steer the animal away from traffic and people who were out and about over the weekend. The Burlington Police and the Vermont Fish and Wildlife departments worked together to track the moose, which led them to a shed containing an illegal pot growing operation.

Chief warden Dave LeCours said the shed was located in a “fairly urban area” of Burlington. When authorities were attempting to guide the moose away from the area, they happened upon a small building equipped with a fan.

“As the officers passed by this fan, it was a putrid smell of growing marijuana,” explained to CBC News. He added that the moose had essentially led them to a pot-growing operation.

The number of plants vary depending upon who you ask. While LeCours told the CBC that there were around 12 marijuana plants in the shed, other reports suggest there were as many as 32. Regardless of the number, police quickly obtained a search warrant for the property.

Authorities later arrested 29-year-old Joshua Brunelle for his illegal pot-growing operation. Officers seized several plants and some processed marijuana.

LeCours explained that officials were able to get the moose away from the developed area and into the surrounding woods. He said that moose sometimes do “crazy things” and advised people to be aware of the animals when driving through the region.

“Just leave them alone, don’t try to get too close, don’t try to harass them. For the most part, they’re already stressed out, they’re trying to find their way out,” he explained.

What do you think about the moose that led police to a pot-growing operation in Vermont?

[Image via Wikimedia Commons]