News: Pot Grow Discovered At Gas Station

YUBA CITY (CBS13) - Four marijuana grow houses were busted by law enforcement in Yuba City on Tuesday, including one at an unlikely location.

At 7 a.m. Tuesday, members of the joint narcotics task force, Net-5, served warrants for four different suspected grow houses in Yuba City. One grow house was at the 76 gas station at 1466 Colusa Avenue where task force members found 93 plants. They say that along with being the first illegal grow they've ever uncovered at a gas station, it was one of the most sophisticated.

"This was a very big grow. Probably one of the most sophisticated ones I've seen as far as the equipment and the way that they've done it," said Sgt. Chad Lizardo. "Each plant had its own drip line. They were good plants, quality plants."

Task members were led to the business and three others after they uncovered a grow at a different location. When they arrived at the gas station with the warrant, task members say they didn't know it was being used to grow the plants.

"We didn't know where was a grow here. We happened to stumble onto it when we served our search warrant," said Sgt. Lizardo.

The ventilation system made it so you couldn't smell the odor from inside the store.

Today's raids were the culmination of a six-month investigation in Yuba City, and were still being carried out as CBS13 spoke with task members.

Officers believe the store employees may be related to those working at the other grows.

Task members say today's raids resulted in the seizure of 500 plants.

Net-5 serves the Yuba-Sutter area and is comprised of law enforcement personnel from the Yuba County Sherrif's Department, Marysville Police Department, Yuba City Police Department, Sutter County Sheriff's Department, California Highway Patrol, and the State Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement.