| NWCN |
| Officers use a battering ram on a door as they raid one of more than 50 homes included in the marijuana sweep on Thursday |
Dozens of indoor marijuana growing operations were raided in Washington state Thursday in a sweep involving hundreds of agents. Investigators said Clark County is one of the biggest pot-growing regions on the West Coast.
About 300 local, state and federal offices executed search warrants at more than 50 homes, reports David Krough of NWCN. Several arrests were reportedly also made in other states, leading the cops to around 150 pounds of processed cannabis at various locations in Clark County.
| NWCN |
| More than 6,800 marijuana plants had been seized by 4 p.m. Thursday afternoon, with 43 suspects arrested |
About 6,800 plants had been seized, and 43 arrests had been made, as of 4 p.m. Thursday afternoon, according to investigators.
“The massive scale of this marijuana growing operation is staggering and unprecedented in the history of Clark County,” claimed Commander Mike Cooke of the Clark-Skamania Drug Task Force. “When viewed on a map of Clark County, it’s clear that this group has made Clark County a major producer of marijuana on the West Coast.”
Investigators said they expected to work into the night making more arrests.
Police said suspects would face charges of manufacturing marijuana, and could possibly be looking at federal charges as well.
“Operation Gang Green” began in 2009 as police became aware of a network of indoor marijuana grows, according to Clark and Skamania county deputies.