Members of the Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team (OPNET) seized thousands of marijuana plants from multiple Port Angeles residencnes last week, the result of a multi-year federal, state, and local investigation into an organized crime and criminal enterprise illegally growing and processing marijuana in Clallam County.

Law enforcement officials said OPNET served search warrants on six residences on Dec. 7 and Dec. 8: in the 100 Block of North Baker Street, 400 block of Diamond Vista Drive, 4300 block of South Old Mill Road, 3800 block of South Airport Road, 1200 block of West 10th Street and 4300 block of Nicholas Road.

All of the properties were owned by the same person, a Port Angeles area resident and businessman, law enforcement officials did not identify.

“This investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been made,” Clallam COunty Chief Deputy Brian King said in a Dec. 9 press release.

“This criminal enterprise used residences in both the city of Port Angeles and adjoining unincorporated Clallam County to grow, process, and ship large quantities of marijuana outside Washington State,” King wrote. “None of these enterprises were licensed with the state nor did they comply in any way with the legal cultivation of marijuana as required by state law.”

Over the course of two days, detectives seized from five of the six properties more than 3,100 growing marijuana plants and about 370 pounds of processed marijuana, OPNET officials said.

Some of the marijuana plants seized at one of six Port Angeles residences last week by members of the Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team. Submitted photo

The retail value of the marijuana seized during the two-day operation exceeds $5 million and if axported to other states, the value exceeds $10 million, OPNET said.

Initial inspections of grwo operation records indicate the operation has been ongoing for at least three years, generating many millions of dollars of untaxed and illegal profits for the organization.

Detectives found that the majority of the residences had been substantially remodeled for the purposes of cultivating marijuana and contained extensive electrical hazards, acording to OPNET officials.

Law enforcement said investigation of the marijuana grow activity at the residences was initiated after numerous citizen complaints.

OPNET detectives were aided in the serving the warrants by the Washington State Patrol Marijuana Enforcement Team, Washington State Department of Ecology, police department staff in Sequim, Port Angeles and Port Townsend, and Clallam County and Jefferson County sheriff’s offices, and Clallam County Sheriff’s Office.