ARARAT, Va. — The Surry County Sheriff’s Office confiscated 25 marijuana plants yesterday afternoon off Radars Road in Ararat, Va. following an annual marijuana search from the air.

Sheriff Graham Atkinson said the helicopter search is part of a national program sponsored by the National Guard in which local law enforcement are able to search areas for marijuana by helicopter.

Wednesday afternoon the Sheriff’s Office in partnership with the Stokes Sheriff’s Office, the Mount Airy Police Department and the N.C. State Bureau Investigation, had two helicopter teams and two ground teams scope out Surry County.

Authorities said that the 25 3-foot marijuana plants were found in a six-foot wide triangular plot fenced by black plastic. The net value of the marijuana was about $75,000. At this time there are no charges, and it was not known to whom the plot belonged.

“The teams are trained to spot marijuana in from the air,“ said Atkinson, who rode in one of the helicopters.

He said there are times that law enforcement may have information that leads it to look for marijuana in certain areas or “hot spots” where it may have been grown before; other times they just skim the area.

He said yesterday’s find was a happenstance.

The brief thunderstorms in the early afternoon disrupted their nearly 6 hour search for a while, but they reconvened after the rain cleared.

Atkinson said if anyone has any information about the marijuana plot to call the Sheriff’s Office at 401-8900.

Contact Erin C. Perkins at eperkins@mtairynews.com or 719-1952.