What started as a complaint concerning the well-being of dogs at a Delta residence ended with police busting a large-scale marijuana grow-op Wednesday.
According to a press release, officers with the Delta Police Department’s crime reduction unit executed a search warrant on a property in the 4800-block of 28th Avenue on Aug. 11, seizing approximately $200,000 worth of dried marijuana and 7,400 marijuana plants, as well as $275,000 worth of equipment.
“This was a large scale marijuana grow-op,” Insp. Heath Newton, head of the DPD’s Investigative Services Section, said in a press release. “The 7,400 plants that were seized were in various stages of growth. Officers secured about 100 pounds of dried marijuana that was being packaged for further distribution.”
Police estimate the value of the seized marijuana plants to be more than $2 million, based on a conservative estimate of the approximate yield per plant.
Two people were taken into custody without incident, and while no charges have yet been approved, police anticipate forwarding charges under the Cannabis Act.
The investigation is ongoing.
“This is not the first time a tip from the public has spurred a larger police investigation, and helped us to uncover a sophisticated illegal operation,” Newton said. “For me, this really underscores that policing truly is a partnership with the community.”
Newton also credits the investigators on his team, who worked hard to secure the evidence for the search warrant.