Grant will help to eradicate illegal marijuana

Nye County will get some reimbursement for the money spent on eradication of illegal marijuana under a new grant.

Nye County commissioners at the last meeting approved a $5,000 grant award from the U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration to defray costs relating to the eradication and suppression of illegal marijuana.

This grant is for a 12-month period and can be used for expenses, including travel, overtime, supplies and materials, equipment and gear.

“It will be used to pay Nye County to assist the DEA to eradicate illegal marijuana in Nye County,” Nye County Sheriff Sharon Wehrly said.

Nye County will have to seek out and report illegal marijuana grows to the DEA to get reimbursement.

“So as soon as we find something or they find something within our territory, they already know that. So we work with them to eradicate it, they sign the paperwork so we can get paid for it,” Sheriff Wehrly said.

The Nye County Sheriff’s Office will perform a variety of activities under the grant, including gathering and reporting intelligence data that relates to the illicit cultivation, possession and distribution of illicit cannabis; investigating and reporting instances involving the trafficking in controlled substances and making arrests; and referring to the appropriate prosecutorial authority cases for prosecution under controlled substance laws and other criminal laws.

According to the agreement between the Nye County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration, DEA will pay the Nye County Sheriff’s Office $5,000 between Oct. 1, 2016 and Sept. 30, 2017.