Satellite photos lead to pot bust

GENOA, Italy, Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Italian police arrested a man in Rocchetta di Vara after satellite photos found suspicious plants in his back yard that allegedly turned out to be cannabis.

Police said the arrest of Alfredo Salvini, 48, marked the first operation to result from use of the satellite technique, ANSA reported Tuesday.

Fifty-seven vases of cannabis plants were found along with a large quantity of dried plants that were apparently meant for sale.

The arrest is the second major Italian pot bust in as many months.

In July, a 60-year-old retired librarian was arrested after nearly 700 cannabis plants were found growing on her terrace near Venice. She told police her cannabis was "the best to be had" in her neighborhood because she spent nearly all of her time caring for the plants.

"It's a real passion," she told them.