Major drug bust in Grant County

Twelve arrested

MATTAWA - Marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, firearms, 13 vehicles and close to $200,000 was confiscated from several homes in Mattawa Wednesday.

The Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team (INET) drug bust may be one of the most successful busts Grant County has seen, according to Grant County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy John Turley.

"This is the first time we've really been able to locate and arrest people directly responsible for illegal growing of marijuana and illegal distribution of marijuana … and a quantity of meth we didn't expect to find," he said.

Twelve people were arrested in connection to the drug bust. Suspect information was not released.

Usually there are no arrests during drug confiscations because the suspects are gone, Turley said.

The marijuana grow operation was under heavy surveillance by law enforcement for months.

"It all began from a drug stop and an investigation of a grow back in May in Adams County," Turley said.

A grow is when someone is cultivating marijuana, he explained. Growers usually begin growing the plants inside a residence and later transplants them into a cornfield for disguise.

Many of the plants were located on public property, Grant County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Dan Couture said. In the Lower Crab Creek area, roughly 2,500 plants were confiscated in relation to the Mattawa bust.

There was a total of nine children ranging from infants to 16 years old located at seven involved residences, he said. Five residences were in Mattawa, one in Sunnyside and one in Desert Aire.

It did not appear Child Protective Services took custody of the children, he said. Some still had parents or an adult to stay with.

The children appeared to be near the drugs, Turley said.

"They were drying marijuana in the bedroom where children slept," Turley said.

It takes three to four days to dry out plants, Couture added. Sometimes the marijuana plants are hung out to dry like clothes on an outside line.

Two kilos of cocaine valued at more than $30,000 were confiscated.

Five firearms were confiscated. One was confirmed stolen.

Nearly one pound of methamphetamine valued at nearly $24,000 was discovered. Nearly $80,000 of the $200,000 cash total was located under the carpet in a closet in one residence.

Two of the properties will be seized due to the manufacture of marijuana, a third house may be seized later.

Law enforcement in Kittitas County are collecting 4,000 marijuana plants, while other agencies collected numerous plants in Sunnyside and 90,000 plants in Yakima.

During the drug eradication approximately 22,000 marijuana plants were discovered in Grant County. Each plant is valued at $1,500.

The marijuana will be burned or taken to a landfill to be buried. Turley said the plant will not grow back once buried at the landfill.

More than 60 officers were involved with the Lower Crab Creek drug seizure including service from INET, Grant County Sheriff's Office, Washington State Patrol, federal Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Ephrata Police Department, Moses Lake Police Department, Quincy Police Department, Othello Police Department and the Adams County Sheriff's Office. The state patrol and Kittitas County provided canines to locate drugs.

Most of the men arrested Wednesday have a minimal criminal history, Turley said.

"They've been able to fly under the radar," he said.

Several are believed to be illegal immigrants from Mexico.

"This isn't the first time they've done it," Turley said. "It's the first time we've been able to nail them down in the drug trade."

Law enforcement was suspicious of the arrested subjects in the past for drug involvement, he said.

It is believed some immigrants who come to the United States to farm are involved in the 'I-90 exchange,' Turley said.

The I-90 exchange involves moving drugs from the Columbia Basin area to the Midwest and the east coast via the interstate by some illegal immigrants.

"That's always been a theory," he said.

The incident remains under investigation.