GAINESVILLE, Ga. (AP)- A north Georgia man has been convicted
of conspiracy to grow hundreds of marijuana plants in and around
the Chattahoochee National Forest.

A federal jury in Gainesville found 45-year-old Andrew N. Cox of
Blairsville guilty Wednesday. Authorities say Cox fled after his
indictment and was a fugitive for three years before his Feb. 13
arrest in Casa Grande, Ariz.

Cox and three others were accused of planting and cultivating
marijuana in 2004, using a landscaping business as a front.
Co-conspirators Jose Quezadas-Fierros, Paciano Vargas-Hernandez,
and Mayolo Vargas-Villenueva pleaded guilty in 2004 and 2006.

With two prior felony drug convictions and at least 1,000
marijuana plants involved, Cox faces life in prison when sentenced
Feb. 6.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)