The lawmen looked as though they were embarking on a safari as they began trekking into overgrown weeds. They were clad in khakis and t-shirts with machetes in hand to clear foliage.

But the investigators weren't in Laurel Hill for an adventure – a helicopter had spotted a patch of marijuana on a property.

The marijuana plants were recovered on the Old Morgan Farm in Laurel Hill in a joint operation of the Scotland County Sheriff's Office, North Carolina Highway Patrol and State Bureau of Investigation.

The 103 marijuana plants, some 8 feet tall, worth an estimated $120,000, Sheriff's investigator Scott Jacobs said.

Authorities say the marijuana was likely planted by trespassers.

"Most of what we see is people planting [marijuana] on other people's property," Jacobs said. "They do that on purpose."

Jacobs says the farm periodically has issues because of its size – the property covers thousands of acres of land, much of it untamed.

Two aircraft – an SBI airplane and a Highway Patrol helicopter – scoured the county while pilots relayed information back to a group of investigators, deputies and SBI agents on the ground.

"We get an opportunity to do this a couple times a year," Sheriff Shep Jones said.

He says investigators use the birds-eye view to look in places they can't see from roadways, especially for areas of suspicion.

This operation was much more successful than the last aerial observation where only three plants were seized, officials said.

"I thought this was a very effective operation. We are going to continue to work like this and make Scotland County a better place to live," Jones said.

The sheriff said no one has been charged for the marijuana but his office is investigating.