Keen-nosed deputy catches whiff of 2,800 pot plants. The power bill was 30 times normal

A Pierce County Sheriff's deputy followed his nose to a huge pot bust on Wednesday.

After conversations with residents and catching strong whiff of marijuana while driving the intersection of state Route 702 and Christensen Muck Road between Graham and Eatonville, the deputy decided to do some digging.

He soon learned that a large shop in the area did not have a license to grow pot legally and that the property was OHOP Mutual Light Company's biggest customer, according to a statement on the sheriff's Facebook page. The average residence uses about 10,000 kilowatts of power per year. The Property on Christensen Much road used 300,000.

The deputy obtained a search warrant for the property and found 2,800 marijuana plants and equipment for growing the plants. A married couple, both 46, were arrested and booked into Pierce County Jail for unlawfully manufacturing a controlled substance.

Both posted $15,000 bail Thursday. They are scheduled to return to court on April 24.

Click here to read the fully story on the Tacoma News Tribune.

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