SPRINGFIELD, Ky. (AP) — A prolific pot grower from central Kentucky has been on the run for two years, with law enforcement saying that tracking down John Robert Boone is like trying to catch a ghost.

Boone, who resembles a tattooed Santa Claus, vanished in 2008, just ahead of a raid on his farm in Springfield where authorities seized 2,400 marijuana plants.

Since then, the one-time member of a large marijuana-growing syndicate called the "Cornbread Mafia" has been elusive, with friends in the close-knit communities southeast of Louisville saying they hope Boone remains free.

Boone faces a potential life sentence if convicted of a third marijuana growing charge. He spent more than a decade in prison for his conviction in the "Cornbread Mafia" case, which earned him the nicknames the "King of Pot" and "Godfather of Grass."