Detectives bust Spokane Valley marijuana grow

Authorities responding to a Spokane Valley standoff sniffed out and busted a marijuana growing operation nearby. Sheriff’s detectives executed a search warrant at the house on the 12100 block of east Valley Way Road Thursday and found an “active marijuana grow in the basement of the residence that included 49 marijuana plants, two pounds of finished product and baggies and scales consistent with drug scales,” sheriff’s Spokesman Deputy Craig Chamberlin said in a news release. The bust came after units from the Spokane Valley Police Department and Spokane County Sheriff’s Office responded to a standoff on the same block on February 15. Members of the Hostage Negotiation Team could smell marijuana odor emanating from a nearby residence, eventually pinpointing where the smell was coming from, Chamberlin said. The house was empty when detectives searched it. The investigation is ongoing.