AfterDawn: News

Marijuana field spotted through Google Earth

Swiss authorities announced today that they had found a large marijuana plantation while using Google Earth, the extremely popular free satellite mapping software.

The discovery was part of an ongoing investigation that has so far led to the arrest of 16 people and the seizure of 1.2 tons of marijuana with a street value of $2.5 million USD. Cash and other valuables were seized as well with a value of over $800,000 USD.



The head of Zurich police's specialist narcotics unit, Norbert Klossner, said the field was in the northeastern canton (state) of Thurgau. The plantation is about 7500 square meters and was hidden inside a larger field of corn.

"It was an interesting chance discovery," said Klossner.

The 16 suspects have allegedly sold 7.7 tons of marijuana since 2004, making an average of 6 million Swiss francs a year.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 30 Jan 2009 17:15

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• 58 comments

• kikzm33z

  ROFL.

  30.1.2009 17:22 #1

• atomicxl

  Google Earth is now the worst invention ever. Its responsible for removing 1.2 tons of love, peace and happiness from the world.

  30.1.2009 18:01 #2

• Stu_dent

  Originally posted by atomicxl: Google Earth is now the worst invention ever. Its responsible for removing 1.2 tons of love, peace and happiness from the world.lol

  30.1.2009 18:12 #3

• sssharp

  Oh no bounty will be put on the inventors of this project.

  30.1.2009 18:14 #4

• tripplite

  maybe....lol poor saps....it could have worked as good advertisement....maw goodness....are the bodies on google earth to *gasp! lol

  30.1.2009 18:20 #5

• wazzat

  They could have shared-

  30.1.2009 18:21 #6

• rayals

  Maybe we could 'pony up' a defense fund for them....lol. I wish the defendants lots of luck!

  30.1.2009 19:33 #7

• vcbc

  hahaha, lol, wow... does anyone know where this might be in, like the exact location..i doubt anything will say though.

  30.1.2009 19:35 #8

• zero9121

  i knew it google is trying to take over the world.

  30.1.2009 19:40 #9

• wolf123

  The worst thing is its not even up to date any where!!!

  30.1.2009 21:51 #10

• vballstud

  *checks for local marijuana fields*

  30.1.2009 22:38 #11

• Tibbz24

  WOW! Thanks google... Next they are gonna be looking into peoples houses...

  31.1.2009 00:09 #12

• ZippyDSM

  Legalize it tax it and roll in the green...nothing wrong with all that dope,cut it dry it and sell it for profit!
  Use the same laws for alcohol to govern its negative effects on society, I swear government has no clue whats its doing...

  31.1.2009 00:40 #13

• tripplite

  Mauritania is putty feet for the conservatives and democratic republicans....its some partisan backwash...hate factions...lol rome total war.....lol yer right ^^

  31.1.2009 00:42 #14

• SamNz

  lol OWNED but its the kinda thing you never think of, "pfft its not like there goin to use a satellite to find our crop OHH crap" lol

  31.1.2009 02:22 #15

• cousinkix

  The mountains near the Google headquarters in Sunnyvale California USA are full of marijuana plants every growing season. Their satellite photos hardly put a cramp on the weed crops at home. Are you worried about the police seizing private property and homes in Switzerland? Then grow your plants in the remote areas of the state parks just like the drug cartels around Silicon Valley...

  31.1.2009 02:25 #16

• ZippyDSM

  Originally posted by cousinkix: The mountains near the Google headquarters in Sunnyvale California USA are full of marijuana plants every growing season. Their satellite photos hardly put a cramp on the weed crops at home. Are you worried about the police seizing private property and homes in Switzerland? Then grow your plants in the remote areas of the state parks just like the drug cartels around Silicon Valley...In a nanny state you pay taxes to restrict your rights and freedoms.

  31.1.2009 02:27 #17

• cousinkix

  Big Brother cannot seize private homes if they grow marijuana in places like Henry Coe State Park just down the road from the Google office. The San Francisco CHRONICLE outdoor writer wrote quite a column on the marijuana gardens a couple of years ago...

  31.1.2009 03:00 #18

• ZippyDSM

  Originally posted by cousinkix: Big Brother cannot seize private homes if they grow marijuana in places like Henry Coe State Park just down the road from the Google office. The San Francisco CHRONICLE outdoor writer wrote quite a column on the marijuana gardens a couple of years ago...No one said they could but my point is if we were not a nanny state and let adults be adults and have their vices under mature and fair limits one could give a portion of the liqueur or pot to the government in lue of taxes and the government can sell it off or use it themselfs.

  31.1.2009 03:29 #19

• blueroad

  hmm lol i hope google earth cant zoom too much to see the few plants on ma roof ^^
  long live civil disobediance

  31.1.2009 09:02 #20

• gamecheif

  Google is going down a trail here preety soon they are going to sign contracts with the government (if not already) allowing them to invade our privacy in our homes. Guys i typed in my home address and a 3D view of my street home and cars in the drive way showed up Lol you could see my garbage cans in the back. This is getting ridiculous, i can see something big is about to happen and its going to be Chaos.

  1.2.2009 01:23 #21

• wolf123

  Yes when you saw your house was it in real time or was your area out of date because here we have a new police station that was built in 2006 and new walmart and they do not show up they are still empty lots plus we have snow and it shows this area in the sunner.
  

  It is too live life too the fullest then never lived at all.

  1.2.2009 08:50 #22

• Goten1990

  The only thing I can say to this is, LMFAO

  1.2.2009 13:05 #23

• rick930

  The images on google map are at least in most cases a year out of date. When someone looks up my address they'll see all the damage that had just been done to my roof and trees right after an ice storm in December 2007. Something tells me they were watching and waiting for this crop to grow up so they'd have a real case to make. Kind of hard to prosecute someone for just having seedlings. :P

  1.2.2009 13:43 #24

• telewig

  How come they haven't found the opium fields in Afghanistan, destroyed them, cut off the Taliban's cash and brought our troops home.

  1.2.2009 13:51 #25

• SuperXL

  Originally posted by telewig: How come they haven't found the opium fields in Afghanistan, destroyed them, cut off the Taliban's cash and brought our troops home.
  i think it's because there's too much money to be made/wasted on war.

  1.2.2009 16:55 #26

• Damon666

  Scaremongering thats what its all about, just keep doing what you do and dont worry!!

  1.2.2009 19:41 #27

• haskins69

  don't fool your selfs switzerland can't afford satilites so they probly did see it in old image and wait till next crop to bust the poor pot growers
  
  that said the U.S.Gov. has satilites already hunderds of them and if you think their not watching then your a fool
  
  they know all and see all they just don't tip their hand over a few hunderd pot plants
  
  I mean come on when I was in the service in 1980 they could read car plates from space now they can read a dime I'm told .......so they know!!

  1.2.2009 20:45 #28

• WiseEyes

  Originally posted by telewig: How come they haven't found the opium fields in Afghanistan, destroyed them, cut off the Taliban's cash and brought our troops home.Yeah, the pot growers aren't the real terrorists!

  1.2.2009 23:36 #29

• haskins69

  they know right where the opium is growing
  but since it's the only money making industry in Afghanistan
  our gov ignors it because to stop it would cause more trouble not less for our troops
  to bring them home we need to expand into pakistan and basicly get them at home and when they cross the border to attack us

  2.2.2009 00:46 #30

• bandoogie

  Because they U.S. gov't is too busy making money off of the opium.

  2.2.2009 02:06 #31

• gamecheif

  Listen the 3d view they had up was from Last summer by looking at the trees but its amazing how they could invade your privacy like that. look at it security wise what if your personal information got compromised with Google earth an attacker can verify where you live and what house your live in i call that invasion of privacy and i think it needs to be stopped. Google needs to use this shit to help the US not for spying on us. Looking at the logic of it how can a statelites zoom down and give off 3d imagery. Google has the highest of high tech equipment.

  2.2.2009 03:21 #32

• haskins69

  quote:"Google has the highest of high tech equipment"
  
  WRONG !!!!
  
  the U.S. Government does

  2.2.2009 03:36 #33

• gamecheif

  NO you are sorta right but if they were the ONLY ones with high tech equipment Google earth wouldnt had been the survailenece used to spy on a marijuana field....

  2.2.2009 04:48 #34

• mystic

  its sad that the cops are no using the web, but understandably its a work in progress the sat pics are out of date what no one thought was that the feilds must now be rotated to other locations change of view if you must but why didnt the US government use it to find all those weapons of mass distruction ... oh wait there wasnt any just a weapon of mass(the whole world) disstraction oh ok that makes more since

  2.2.2009 10:24 #35

• 7thsinger

  LMAO.

  2.2.2009 10:38 #36

• damncrap

  Thays too funny lmao
  
  But now all they have done is told the crooks they need to cover it up and grow it inside away from veiw. Perhaps they should of kept the fact that they used google earth to themselves. Not to mention the pot farmers could check google themselves to make sure if it can be seen or not lol

  2.2.2009 11:29 #37

• haskins69

  "gamechief"
  while google does have satilelites
  check your google earth it only zooms in clear to a point
  U.S. Gov. satilelites can count the hairs sticking out of a girl whos laying out's bikini big difference
  and the reason the swiss didn't use our Gov. satilelites is simple cost
  our Gov. charges other countrys to use our technology and of course they reduce its ablity's so no knows just how good our technology is

  2.2.2009 12:12 #38

• bigorange

  They tried prohibition and it created the Mafia. When are they going to learn when more people do it faster than they can build jails to hold them, laws need to be repealed? As for Google, George Orwell only missed it by a quarter of a century. With the new Terrorist Act since 9/11 we've lost all our rights under the 4th Amendment.
  Google is now involved w/the U.S. Government to create a massive data base which lets Big Brother know any and everything you've ever seen or read on the net, and I mean every single one of us. Not to mention the invasion of home and privacy without any justifiable reason of suspicion or search warrants. I guess McCarthyism is still alive and well in the good ole U.S.of A.
  You don't have to grow or sell to be busted, just try recreational use and see where you end up. But hey, don't worry, they're just looking out for our own well being! Right?

  2.2.2009 12:50 #39

• haskins69

  Originally posted by bigorange: They tried prohibition and it created the Mafia. When are they going to learn when more people do it faster than they can build jails to hold them, laws need to be repealed? As for Google, George Orwell only missed it by a quarter of a century. With the new Terrorist Act since 9/11 we've lost all our rights under the 4th Amendment.
  Google is now involved w/the U.S. Government to create a massive data base which lets Big Brother know any and everything you've ever seen or read on the net, and I mean every single one of us. Not to mention the invasion of home and privacy without any justifiable reason of suspicion or search warrants. I guess McCarthyism is still alive and well in the good ole U.S.of A.
  You don't have to grow or sell to be busted, just try recreational use and see where you end up. But hey, don't worry, they're just looking out for our own well being! Right?AMEN!!!!
  
  but we got OBAMA now he said he was for legalizing weed!!!!
  if he keeps only one promise I hope that's it!!

  2.2.2009 12:55 #40

• WiseEyes

  Quote:Originally posted by bigorange: They tried prohibition and it created the Mafia. When are they going to learn when more people do it faster than they can build jails to hold them, laws need to be repealed? As for Google, George Orwell only missed it by a quarter of a century. With the new Terrorist Act since 9/11 we've lost all our rights under the 4th Amendment.
  Google is now involved w/the U.S. Government to create a massive data base which lets Big Brother know any and everything you've ever seen or read on the net, and I mean every single one of us. Not to mention the invasion of home and privacy without any justifiable reason of suspicion or search warrants. I guess McCarthyism is still alive and well in the good ole U.S.of A.
  You don't have to grow or sell to be busted, just try recreational use and see where you end up. But hey, don't worry, they're just looking out for our own well being! Right?AMEN!!!!
  
  but we got OBAMA now he said he was for legalizing weed!!!!
  if he keeps only one promise I hope that's it!!Oh what a party that'll be! Home-grown will crop-up everywhere and push back the dealers off the street. The government will only be able to tax the commercial growers. Heaven on earth.

  2.2.2009 13:53 #41

• haskins69

  A................MEN!!!!!

  2.2.2009 14:09 #42

• ZippyDSM

  Quote:Quote:Originally posted by bigorange: They tried prohibition and it created the Mafia. When are they going to learn when more people do it faster than they can build jails to hold them, laws need to be repealed? As for Google, George Orwell only missed it by a quarter of a century. With the new Terrorist Act since 9/11 we've lost all our rights under the 4th Amendment.
  Google is now involved w/the U.S. Government to create a massive data base which lets Big Brother know any and everything you've ever seen or read on the net, and I mean every single one of us. Not to mention the invasion of home and privacy without any justifiable reason of suspicion or search warrants. I guess McCarthyism is still alive and well in the good ole U.S.of A.
  You don't have to grow or sell to be busted, just try recreational use and see where you end up. But hey, don't worry, they're just looking out for our own well being! Right?AMEN!!!!
  
  but we got OBAMA now he said he was for legalizing weed!!!!
  if he keeps only one promise I hope that's it!!Oh what a party that'll be! Home-grown will crop-up everywhere and push back the dealers off the street. The government will only be able to tax the commercial growers. Heaven on earth.
  The could open up liquor as well, start off with a 100$ a year growers/makers license then tax a percentage of commercial growerson top of that.

  2.2.2009 14:26 #43

• haskins69

  screw buying the weed I live in central Illinois in a small farm town I'd buy my tax stamp [ I'd even be willing to pay say $300+ for it since I smoke that much in a couple months now] and I'd just grow my own very high quality weed
  and I'm sure most poor pot smokers who have a yard or spare closet would do the same making the Mexico weed connection dead....thank god swag sucks

  2.2.2009 16:05 #44

• wolf123

  I wouldn't worry about Google earth they are not even up to date. I looked in my area and the buildings are 2 years at least out of date. Now if there was a reason too get upset don't because the pictures of areas are not up too date.

  2.2.2009 18:17 #45

• edisongs

  I am afraid there is better money to be made in incarcerations, new prisons, and so on than in legalization of pot. Legal weed only gives the gov. a growers' or users' tax. They can make a lot more on perpetual fines, jail time, etc. Plus, the user "becomes" a criminal that can be controled in far more ways, not least of which are the removal of his constitutional rights to self-defence (gun ownership) and to his citizen-control of the system (voting and jurying). Face it, this is a "legal" end-run around your rights as a free American. We may still be brave, but we are rapidly losing our ability to be the land of the free.
  
  Don't think for a minute that Obamah won't be pulled into that Washington Insiders club. We all thought, too, that the peanut farmer from Georgia (Jimmy Carter) was no patsy of the powers that be. We know better now. Obamah is not the antichrist, but neither is he the Messiah. His starry-eyed idealism will be forced back to reality before his first 100 days in office.

  2.2.2009 18:32 #46

• Jemborg

  A lot of you are noongs lol.
  
  Let me see, a cop just happens to see a small marijuana field whilst browsing on Google Earth...
  
  Oh come on, it's a media beat-up. For one thing Google doesn't resolve those images using satellites only. When it gets closer it switches to aerial photographs. No satellite can resolve to the resolutions that some here believe it can- simply because of atmospheric diffusion. Identification of large crops via satellite has to be done using special filters and such. I mean how many of you have spotted a particular plant species with Google Earth? Even if the cops used the original aerial negatives it's not done every day.
  
  Surely the line "...The 16 suspects have allegedly sold 7.7 tons of marijuana since 2004...." should give you pause for the veracity of the report. I mean, how did they know that? From GE... c'on. :D
  
  Oh yeah, if your country hands over the responsibility for punitive incarceration for breaking it's laws to private industry then you can forget marijuana ever being decriminalised much less legalised. It's a fine in my state, but the authorities have constantly been whittling down those rights, to one plant grown outdoors now (and they still bitch)- of course if you do that some little ratboy will leap over the fence and filch it or if you've harvested it then expect a break-in and a steaming egg laid on your kitchen table... and it won't be breakfast.
  

  Its a lot easier being righteous than right.

  3.2.2009 01:24 #47

• borhan9

  This is some great news and now Google can say that they help the community. The scary thing is this reminds me of the movie called Eagle Eye, not far now for them to create something so they can see me sitting in my room typing this comment.

  3.2.2009 18:22 #48

• edisongs

  Re: Jemborg's insightful comments.
  
  Privatization of incarceration is an unfortunate fact of life in America now. It does make money, so there are plenty of lobbyists encouraging politicians to increase it at the expense of the general populace.
  
  As one among many references any one of us could find with a simple search, see:
  http://mediafilter.org/caq/Prison.html
  particularly at the heading labeled "The Buslnes (sic) of Punishment".
  
  Thanks Jemborg, for your common-sense approach to this rather than more apocalyptic fear peddling.

  3.2.2009 19:33 #49

• Jemborg

  Originally posted by edisongs: Re: Jemborg's insightful comments.Well, you're welcome edisongs, but I was really seconding your excellent post earlier. It's happens in my country too (Australia)- the refugee camps that used to incarcerate them were privately run.
  
  If you really want the willies, see "Ghosts of the Civil Dead" a Aussie film (starring Nick Cave of all people- being particularly mental) that deals with the subject. Not a documentary. It postulates that creating (worse) criminals will be the agenda for these prison companies, not rehabilitation. Why? Because it's good for business.
  
  And, as long as you (questionably) allow gated suburbs... why should they care if more violent crims wander the streets ready to re-offend and be re-incarcerated.
  
  It's my bet the cops had a tip-off about that crop. Busted it. Had a look at the old photo's on GEarth saw something green in the same place years ago- went and dug up the original aerial 10"x10" negs for evidence. It still might not stand up in court.
  
  Large crop identification is done by reading the already know wavelength signatures of said crops. As it stands, you might be able to pick out a truck with spy satellites, as to reading it's number plate... forget it.
  
  PS: We have very strict gun ownership laws here- gun crime of the type America regularly sees is quite rare. Michael Moore (deliberately?) got it wrong about Canada- they have very strict laws regarding handgun ownership too.
  
  Cheers.
  

  Its a lot easier being righteous than right.

  4.2.2009 15:40 #50

• WiseEyes

  Quote:Originally posted by edisongs: Re: Jemborg's insightful comments.Well, you're welcome edisongs, but I was really seconding your excellent post earlier. It's happens in my country too (Australia)- the refugee camps that used to incarcerate them were privately run.
  
  If you really want the willies, see "Ghosts of the Civil Dead" a Aussie film (starring Nick Cave of all people- being particularly mental) that deals with the subject. Not a documentary. It postulates that creating (worse) criminals will be the agenda for these prison companies, not rehabilitation. Why? Because it's good for business.
  
  And, as long as you (questionably) allow gated suburbs... why should they care if more violent crims wander the streets ready to re-offend and be re-incarcerated.
  
  It's my bet the cops had a tip-off about that crop. Busted it. Had a look at the old photo's on GEarth saw something green in the same place years ago- went and dug up the original aerial 10"x10" negs for evidence. It still might not stand up in court.
  
  Large crop identification is done by reading the already know wavelength signatures of said crops. As it stands, you might be able to pick out a truck with spy satellites, as to reading it's number plate... forget it.
  
  PS: We have very strict gun ownership laws here- gun crime of the type America regularly sees is quite rare. Michael Moore (deliberately?) got it wrong about Canada- they have very strict laws regarding handgun ownership too.
  
  Cheers.Just one more reason to legalize it altogether.

  4.2.2009 16:07 #51

• badmann (unverified)

  they used the google program to search cause its free real time satalite then can be used to check area realtime they will use google first its free satalite time is like your yearly salary for 1 hr so they will not be using this to look for plants but they can if they wanted. simple solution grow indoors shorter growtime and can make it produce in dif areas so your always harvesting

  26.7.2010 07:45 #52

• xboxdvl2

  Originally posted by Jemborg: Originally posted by edisongs: Re: Jemborg's insightful comments. Well, you're welcome edisongs, but I was really seconding your excellent post earlier. It's happens in my country too (Australia)- the refugee camps that used to incarcerate them were privately run.
  
  If you really want the willies, see "Ghosts of the Civil Dead" a Aussie film (starring Nick Cave of all people- being particularly mental) that deals with the subject. Not a documentary. It postulates that creating (worse) criminals will be the agenda for these prison companies, not rehabilitation. Why? Because it's good for business.
  
  And, as long as you (questionably) allow gated suburbs... why should they care if more violent crims wander the streets ready to re-offend and be re-incarcerated.
  
  It's my bet the cops had a tip-off about that crop. Busted it. Had a look at the old photo's on GEarth saw something green in the same place years ago- went and dug up the original aerial 10"x10" negs for evidence. It still might not stand up in court.
  
  Large crop identification is done by reading the already know wavelength signatures of said crops. As it stands, you might be able to pick out a truck with spy satellites, as to reading it's number plate... forget it.
  
  PS: We have very strict gun ownership laws here- gun crime of the type America regularly sees is quite rare. Michael Moore (deliberately?) got it wrong about Canada- they have very strict laws regarding handgun ownership too.
  
  Cheers. chances are they could smell it from a mile or 2 away.Think they are trying to crack down on all weapon laws in australia.A few years ago you could work in to mitre 10 and buy a 15 inch machette for $15.Now you need a licence to buy most weapons unless you go to a dodgy little asian grocery store.not sure of the marijuana laws here(australia) but i think it legal to grow 1 outdoor plant.I know when i got caught with 1 in 2007 the cop said make sure its for personal use and don't let me catch you dealing.
  

  PS2 with 12 games.
  pc-windows 7,intel core quad Q8400,4 Gb ddr2,WD 500 GB hdd,ATI Radeon HD 4550 graphics,AOC 22inch LCD moniter.

  26.7.2010 23:53 #53

• Jemborg

  You are a South Aussie too xboxdvl2?
  
  I think it's the only state where it's decriminalised to some extent. And yeah, you can't even get a handgun replica here now. And I think chefs have to carry their knifes about in a locked case and have a special licence {not 100% sure}, something like that.
  

  Its a lot easier being righteous than right.
  
  
  

  27.7.2010 04:55 #54

• xboxdvl2

  yeah south australia.your spot on.originally came here as a baby.
  

  PS2 with 12 games.
  pc-windows 7,intel core quad Q8400,4 Gb ddr2,WD 500 GB hdd,ATI Radeon HD 4550 graphics,AOC 22inch LCD moniter.

  27.7.2010 07:38 #55

• Jemborg

  @xboxdvl2
  
  My god, thread notification for your post took a long time to come through!
  
  Perhaps there is something to being banned by petty little trolls masquerading as moderators. :P
  
  
  __________________________________________________________________
  

  Its a lot easier being righteous than right.
  
  
  

  3.6.2011 01:36 #56

• vcbc

  Originally posted by Jemborg: @xboxdvl2
  
  My god, thread notification for your post took a long time to come through!
  
  Perhaps there is something to being banned by petty little trolls masquerading as moderators. :P
  
  
  __________________________________________________________________ The notification was actually to another message by a user name (guest name?) "stoner" saying something along the lines of google earth is great I can get now get my shit for free. But that post got deleted.
  

  3.6.2011 01:43 #57

• Jemborg

  Originally posted by vcbc: Originally posted by Jemborg: @xboxdvl2
  
  My god, thread notification for your post took a long time to come through!
  
  Perhaps there is something to being banned by petty little trolls masquerading as moderators. :P
  
  
  __________________________________________________________________ The notification was actually to another message by a user name (guest name?) "stoner" saying something along the lines of google earth is great I can get now get my shit for free. But that post got deleted. Ahhh.
  
  Well, as you can see from the posts above, in my state it's just a small "lip-service" fine to grow a plant. So I can't see the harm in Stoner's comment. I hardly partake nowadays myself. Geez, I don't drink, smoke ciggies and only have a small toke once a month... I'm getting really boring haha. And as for heroin....
  

  Its a lot easier being righteous than right.
  
  
  

  3.6.2011 01:58 #58