Last updated at 2:06 PM on 4th May 2011
High-strength marijuana plants have been found just yards from the luxury home of slain terror chief Osama Bin Laden.
Hundreds of the exotic green flower have flourished for a number of years on the border of the war lord's secret compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
Despite being a short walk from a military training academy dubbed 'Pakistan's Sandhurst', the illegal crop had remained undiscovered.
But hundreds of officials have descended on the busy town this week after Bin Laden was blasted in the brain by U.S. Navy Seals.
An American reporter noticed the pungent line of plants growing in the dry fields surrounding the five-metre high concrete walls.
CNN's Nic Robertson showed to the camera the marijuana hidden alongside other crops including cabbages and potatoes.
The discovery raised the possibility that Bin Laden may have been a regular smoker of the 'weed' strain of the plant.
Bin Laden had in recent years suffered from kidney problems which may have been eased by taking marijuana for its medicinal properties.
The searing heat in the northwestern region of the country would provide ideal conditions for the plant to grow.
Pakistan makes around $4billion a year from drug trafficking - though opium is more popular than cannabis.
More details about Bin Laden's lifestyle came from local residents who spoke of their experience of living next to the world's most wanted terrorist.
A nearby shopkeeper said that two young men who lived inside the compound with Bin Laden made regular trips for bulk food orders.
The grocery basket included extensive supplies of Pepsi and Coke - U.S. brands that have become the face of western commercialism that Bin Laden claimed to despise.
The two lackeys called themselves Akbar and Rashid Khan and did the daily shopping in the Pashtu-language accents of Waziristan, a region on the Afghan border.
Grocer Anjum Qaisar, 27, who works 150 meters from the compound, said: 'Bin Laden’s men never came by foot, they always drove a Pajero or a little Suzuki van, and they bought enough food for ten people.'
Mr Qaisar said that he did not know who lived inside the building. 'I was curious about why they bought so much food, but I did not want to be rude by asking,' he told Bloomberg.
High-strength marijuana plants have been found just yards from the luxury home of slain terror chief Osama Bin Laden.
Hundreds of the exotic green flower have flourished for a number of years on the border of the war lord's secret compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
Despite being a short walk from a military training academy dubbed 'Pakistan's Sandhurst', the illegal crop had remained undiscovered.
Bin smoking? Reporters this week discovered marijuana plants growing just outside slain terror chief Osama Bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, northwestern Pakistan
Terrorist plot: CNN's Nic Robertson discovered that the marijuana plants were growing alongside other crops including cabbages and potatoes
An American reporter noticed the pungent line of plants growing in the dry fields surrounding the five-metre high concrete walls.
CNN's Nic Robertson showed to the camera the marijuana hidden alongside other crops including cabbages and potatoes.
The discovery raised the possibility that Bin Laden may have been a regular smoker of the 'weed' strain of the plant.
Weeded out: The location pin Google Earth added after they learned the exact location of Osama bin Laden's hideout
Maybe someone grassed on him: Pakistani Army soldiers pass by the compound where Osama Bin Laden was in hiding for the last six years
The searing heat in the northwestern region of the country would provide ideal conditions for the plant to grow.
Pakistan makes around $4billion a year from drug trafficking - though opium is more popular than cannabis.
More details about Bin Laden's lifestyle came from local residents who spoke of their experience of living next to the world's most wanted terrorist.
A nearby shopkeeper said that two young men who lived inside the compound with Bin Laden made regular trips for bulk food orders.
Gone to pot: Bin Laden had in recent years suffered from kidney problems - could marijuana have been used by the war lord to relieve the symptoms of his illness?
The two lackeys called themselves Akbar and Rashid Khan and did the daily shopping in the Pashtu-language accents of Waziristan, a region on the Afghan border.
Grocer Anjum Qaisar, 27, who works 150 meters from the compound, said: 'Bin Laden’s men never came by foot, they always drove a Pajero or a little Suzuki van, and they bought enough food for ten people.'
Mr Qaisar said that he did not know who lived inside the building. 'I was curious about why they bought so much food, but I did not want to be rude by asking,' he told Bloomberg.
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