Authorities arrested four people and seized approximately 2,000 marijuana plants and $21,000 in cash after serving a search warrant on a property in the 200 block of Jones Road in Winlock on Wednesday, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.
The “sophisticated grow operation” was found inside a large shop, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. The cash and a loaded handgun were found inside the residence on the property.
The homeowners, Shiqiang Wu, 48, and Xiuzhu Li, of Winlock, along with their siblings, Shi Hao Wu, 41, and Yuyao Li, 51, of Kent, were arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail.
Shiqiang Wu, Yuyao Li and Xiuzhu Li have been charged in Lewis County Superior Court for unlawful manufacture of marijuana, possession with intent to deliver and unlawful use of a building for drug purposes. Shi Hao Wu has been charged with possession with intent to deliver.
Each charge is a class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of $10,000.
All four suspects appeared in Lewis County Superior Court on Thursday afternoon via a video feed from the jail.
After matching requests from a defense attorney and the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office, Judge Joely Yeager set bail for all four defendants at $10,000 unsecured, meaning they will all be released without being required to post bail as long as they follow their conditions of release.
None of the defendants have criminal history and all four indicated they would acquire their own attorneys.
A review of the cases is set for June 26.
In serving the warrant, the sheriff’s office was assisted by the Washington State Patrol Cannabis Enforcement Response Team and the state Department of Ecology.
“This was another great example of our partnerships with the Washington State Patrol Cannabis Enforcement Response Team and the Department of Ecology, who assisted us in the removal of hazardous chemicals and pesticides which were actively being burned inside the grow rooms,” the sheriff’s office stated in the release. “These chemicals and pesticides can be hazardous and even fatal to animals and humans in our community.”
Anyone with information pertaining to the case can contact the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office at 360-748-9286 or Lewis County 911 Communications at 360-740-1105.
