Liquor Control Busts Marijuana Growing Operation In Puyallup

PUYALLUP, WA — The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board says their officers seized 678 marijuana plants and more than 100 pounds of the drug when they raided an illegal marijuana grow operation in Puyallup.

According to the Liquor and Cannabis Board, their officers teamed up with the Thurston County Narcotics Task Force to serve a search warrant at a Puyallup home in the 12000 block of Woodland Avenue East, which they believed was housing an illegal growing operation.

The Liquor and Cannabis Board says they were tipped off to the home by concerned neighbors, who had filed several complaints that the house reeked of marijuana, and that the owner never seemed to be home, and didn't live in the house. After investigating those complaints, some of which came from as far back as 2017, officers received a search warrant to check the home, which they served Wednesday.

Once inside, the LCB says officers found the home's interior had been completely renovated, "repurposed solely for the illegal production of marijuana." The agents confiscated hundreds of plants and roughly 100 pounds of marijuana which had already been commercially packaged for sale. They also seized a "significant amount" of growing equipment and a car they say was used to support the operation.

Officers also arrested one suspect, a Kent resident, who they say was associated with the growing operation. They are recommending felony charges for illegally manufacturing and possessing a controlled substance.