Las Vegas police seize 5,700 pot plants worth $8.6M

Las Vegas police on Wednesday seized 868 pounds of marijuana plants in what the department described as the “largest indoor marijuana grow operation” in its jurisdiction.

Narcotics detectives seized about 5,700 plants estimated to cost about $8.6 million, the Metropolitan Police Department announced Thursday afternoon. The search warrant was served by a SWAT team at a warehouse on the 4600 block of Judson Avenue, near Lamb Boulevard and Carey Avenue, police said.

Metro did not indicate if anyone was arrested during the raid, which was part of an investigation conducted by the multiagency High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, which “began several months ago and remains ongoing.” The task force included Metro, the Henderson Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations.

A large portion of the warehouse had been converted into a “sophisticated” marijuana growing operation. Police also “dismantled” the lighting, ballasts, duct work, chemicals, charcoal filters and “all other items associated with a large-scale marijuana grow.”

The previous largest indoor operation, based on plant count, was an investigation in 2013 regarding 3,244 plants.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.