News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 11, 2008
Contact: Jodie Underwood
Number: (206) 553-1162

Operation 'Green Reaper' Sweeps King County

SEP 11 -- (Seattle) –Law enforcement officials from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Kent, Auburn, Renton, Tukwila and Port of Seattle Police Departments announced that early this morning, federal agents and local authorities executed 13 search warrants on indoor marijuana grow operations in King County. Today’s activities are part of the collaborative effort by law enforcement in ‘Operation Green Reaper’, targeting the command and control components of the Puget Sound’s indoor marijuana grow organizations.

Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) David Dongilli stated, “It is important for the public to know how dangerous indoor marijuana cultivation is to our community. These drug trafficking organizations are concealing their illegal activities in the very heart of many of our neighborhoods. Drug traffickers are buying or leasing suburban homes and illegally modifying them, usually with jury-rigged electrical wiring and extensive internal irrigation systems, and utilizing substantial amounts of toxic chemicals and fertilizers (which are ultimately either dumped or wind up as byproducts in the municipal sewer and water systems) in order to grow their marijuana.”

ASAC Dongilli further stated, “These homes are more readily prone to fires and the mold contamination produced from the cultivation process poses significant health and safety concerns to the community. The unfortunate end result is that these drug dealers collect huge illicit profits and our community banks and other mortgage holders are left with virtually uninhabitable and foreclosed homes.”

In conjunction with these raids, law enforcement seized 4,578 marijuana plants, three weapons to include an assault rifle and a shotgun, approximately $50,000.00 in United States Currency, 20 vehicles and have taken 20 subjects into custody.

Today’s efforts were supported by the Washington State Patrol, Seattle Police Department, King County Sheriff’s Office, Valley SWAT and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.