Police served a Bonney Lake residence with a search warrant on April 4 after they suspected the presence of an illegal marijuana grow operation.
Investigators seized more than 700 plants from the black market grow, according to search warrant records.
Large, sophisticated illegal marijuana farms have not been common in the area for many years, Assistant Bonney Lake Police Chief Ryan Boyle told The News Tribune.
Pierce County prosecutors have only charged 10 people in the past five years with unlawful use of a building for drug purposes or unlawful manufacture of a controlled substance in connection to a marijuana grow operation, according to data Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office spokesperson Adam Faber shared with The News Tribune.
The illegal grow operations Pierce County investigates typically involve an out-of-country buyer of a house or building, and police generally see the marijuana products being shipped out of the state, Faber said in an email.
Last year, Tacoma police assisted in executing search warrants for multiple residences across King, Mason and Snohomish counties, seizing 78 pounds of manufactured cannabis product in an operation allegedly run by Chinese nationals.
Police took this photo while serving a search warrant at what they said was an illegal marijuana grow operation at a Bonney Lake residence.
Following the enactment of Initiative 502 — which legalized recreational cannabis use and limited adult possession in December 2012 — the Drug Enforcement Agency reported that the number of indoor grow sites eradicated each year in Washington state declined. Investigators eradicated 221 indoor grow sites in Washington state in 2011, the DEA reported. That figure dropped to 74 in 2012 and to 38 in 2014, the same year the first recreational cannabis retail stores opened in Washington.
Yet, there remains incentive for illicit farming, Boyle said: evading Washington state’s 37% excise tax on cannabis products.
Officers arrested one man and three women on suspicion of unlawful manufacturing of a controlled substance in connection to the Bonney Lake operation, Boyle said, and they’ve been released from custody as they await potential charges. Faber said prosecutors are still reviewing the case, and that no one has been charged yet.
Officers confiscated 729 marijuana plants from a 2,374-square-foot residence on 90th Street Court East, along with a vehicle, a cash counter and growing equipment, including lights, watering systems and timers, according to the search warrant records. Boyle said the farm was well-organized.
“This is not for personal use, it’s not someone growing it for themselves,” he added. “This is a professional operation made for the black market.”
According to the search warrant records, police had noticed suspicious activity and a floral cannabis odor in the area since February, and they began surveillance of the residence shortly after. Boyle noted that the smell of marijuana alone isn’t enough for probable cause — legalization means the odor might not be linked to a crime.
After acquiring a search warrant for the residence’s electricity bills, police allegedly noticed a sharp increase in power usage shortly after the purchase of the house by the current owner in June 2024.
Police also noticed suspicious construction, an unkempt appearance and unusual comings and goings from the residence, the warrant records allege.
Some comments on the police department’s social media post about the arrests criticized law enforcement efforts to end illegal grow operations. Boyle said the large amounts of marijuana and money flowing through residential areas present a public safety hazard.
“If you have to smell this and be afraid to have your kids play in your neighborhood, and you have middle-of-the-night transports and sometimes firearms coming through, it invites issues to a community that would generally not have this threat,” Boyle said.
Police confiscated more than 700 marijuana plants from a Pierce County residence this month. “This is not for personal use, it’s not someone growing it for themselves,” an assistant police chief said. “This is a professional operation made for the black market.” Read More
