Vermont State Police have ended a longstanding program that used military helicopters to search for illegal marijuana farms.

Vermont Public Radio reports state police decided to stop the aerial missions as the state Department of Public Safety focuses on opioid investigations. The flights had been a part of the Marijuana Eradication Resource Team and were partially funded by federal grants. Officials say the program confiscated as many as 6,400 marijuana plants annually.

Detective Lt. Casey Daniell says more troopers are needed to help support opioid probes.

Officials say state police will continue to investigate large-scale pot operations. However, police will now rely heavily on "confidential informant information."

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