MARYSVILLE – A marijuana grow operation in a warehouse just east of downtown has resulted in the confiscation of almost $1 million along with six arrests, including a 43-year-old Arlington man.
The warehouse is located in the 5600 block of 47th Avenue NE, just a few blocks from the city’s Public Works Department.
A search warrant also was served in the 2000 block of 236th St. NE in Arlington.
The Arlington man was booked into the Snohomish County Jail in Everett, along with a man and woman from Edmonds and a man from Lake Stevens. A man and woman from Kenmore were booked into King County Jail.
The Kenmore woman, 35, is accused of running the operation with her boyfriend, 45. The others are accused of working for her.
She and her boyfriend have been released from the King County Jail pending additional court hearings. Their home overlooking the Inglewood Golf Club is worth $1.1 million, property records show.
The Kenmore woman operated the warehouse in Marysville and at several other locations in both counties, the search warrant says. They were running the warehouse without a state license to grow or sell pot.
The warrants are the result of a 12-month investigation into an organized crime ring involved in money laundering and the illegal manufacturing and unlicensed distribution of marijuana.
Detectives seized more than $980,000 in cash, five homes and 10 vehicles that were purchased with illegal drug proceeds. Over 2,000 marijuana plants and several hundred pounds of processed marijuana were located during the searches.
Police on Nov. 3 also raided eight homes in Snohomish and King counties, including Arlington, Edmonds, Everett, Lake Stevens and Lynnwood.
Several law enforcement agencies assisted with serving the warrants: the King County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Agency in Seattle, the U.S. Postal Inspector, the Department of Corrections, and police in Marysville, Edmonds, Kenmore, SeaTac and Metro Transit.