DOUGLAS COUNTY — A sheriff’s deputy’s sense of smell led to an arrest Wednesday in what authorities say was a major Douglas County cannabis operation.

The Columbia River Drug Task Force served a search warrant on an orchard property north of Orondo. There they allegedly found more than 3,000 cannabis plants being illegally grown, and arrested a 51-year-old man on the premises.

The investigation began last year when a sergeant with the task force noticed the strong odor of marijuana while driving by the location, according to court recordes. The site was drawing a large amount of electricity and had registered with the Douglas County PUD as a growing operation, but was not licensed by the state, police said. 

Investigators kept the property under surveillance until Wednesday’s bust. The recovered plants were allegedly found growing indoors in every structure on the property save one orchard shed.

The operation involved local police agencies involved in the task force plus the Washington State Patrol, Department of Ecology and Homeland Security. Beyond the plants, they said, more than 200 pieces of contaminated growing equipment and a collection of chemicals were seized, including hazardous chemicals banned in the United States. Searchers also recovered an undisclosed amount of currency.

The arrested man, Yahui Wu of Renton, was charged yesterday in Douglas County court with unlawful manufacture of marijuana and maintaining a property for drug purposes. He remains held in the Chelan County jail on $100,000 bond.

Douglas County property records show the residential lot and about 400 surrounding acres are owned by WXLP Park LLC, based on Mercer Island. In court affidavits, task force detectives said the ownership of that company traces back to Chinese nationals.