Suspected illegal pot grow operations busted in GH, Thurston and King counties

Investigation goes back to last summer

November 28, 2017 7:00 pm
(Photo courtesy Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office) Marijuana at a suspected illegal grow operation in Central Park outside Aberdeen. Officials from more than a dozen local, state and federal agencies took part in an investigation resulting in search warrants being served Tuesday morning on suspected illegal marijuana grow operations.
(Photo courtesy Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office) Marijuana at a suspected illegal grow operation in Central Park outside Aberdeen. Officials from more than a dozen local, state and federal agencies took part in an investigation resulting in search warrants being served Tuesday morning on suspected illegal marijuana grow operations.

Several suspected illegal marijuana growing operations in Grays Harbor, Thurston and King counties and run by Chinese nationals suspected of being part of organized crime were raided this morning, according to the Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office, which is the lead agency in a large scale operation involving local, state and federal agencies.

At about 8:30, several search warrants were served in the three counties.

Law enforcement teams were processing the scenes on Tuesday and removing and destroying any illegal marijuana. The Sheriff’s Office said that on Wednesday it would provide information as to arrests made and the quantities of illegal marijuana located.

The investigation originated when east Grays Harbor County citizens reported to the Sheriff’s Office possible illegal pot grows in the outlying area of Elma. Later, McCleary Police received similar complaints. Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Deputies as well as officers with the McCleary Police Department identified several possible locations where suspected illegal marijuana grow operations appeared to be occurring. Aberdeen and Hoquiam Police Departments received similar complaints from their respective citizens and on Aug. 1, the Grays Harbor Drug Task Force took over the investigations.

Over the past four months, the task force developed information that numerous homes were being purchased for the purpose of setting up illegal marijuana grows. The majority of the homes were purchased with cash and information was developed that these purchases were conducted by Chinese nationals involved in organized crime. The proceeds from these illegal grows appear to be funding other criminal enterprises, the Sheriff’s Office said. Those investigations are on-going.

A Sheriff’s Office statement says the search warrants were on marijuana grow operations that not only operated without the proper licenses, but in some cases, the illegal grow operations were set up in restricted areas such as near schools.

Given the scale of case, the drug task force sought assistance from many other law enforcement agencies as well as other entities. Those who assisted with Tuesday’s operation included:

GHCDTF, Aberdeen Fire and Police Departments, Cosmopolis PD, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Elma PD, Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), Grays Harbor Communications Center, Grays Harbor County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office, Grays Harbor Fire District #2, Hoquiam PD, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Lewis County’s Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team (JNET), Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board, McCleary PD, Montesano PD, Ocean Shores PD, Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team (OPNET), Pacific County Sheriff’s Office, Port Angeles PD, Raymond PD, South Bend PD, Thurston County Sheriff’s Office, US Marshalls Office, Washington State Department of Ecology, Washington State Patrol, Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, Western States Information Network, Westport PD.