Sophisticated marijuana growing operation found in Caldwell County, officials say

Caldwell County deputies are calling a drug bust in Sawmills one of the most sophisticated indoor marijuana grow operations they have ever seen.

The operation was found inside a warehouse, authorities said. Neighboring businesses said they never knew what was going on inside.

Deputies told Channel 9 reporter Dave Faherty that they found dozens of marijuana plants.

They said the suspect is an electrician who put his skills to work growing pot.

Deputies said a tip from someone who saw something suspicious led them to get a search warrant.

They said they found grow lights, fans, water and ventilation systems and 62 marijuana plants.

Channel 9 showed the images to Roger Beaver, who works with his brother at a garage next door.

"That's bad. Right beside of you, too," Beaver said.

"All you heard was noise in the building. You never (saw) a vehicle or anything that came in. You just heard noise," his brother, David Beaver, said.

Don Davis, who works at Front Porch Antiques, talked to one of the people in the warehouse and was told that they were in the furniture business, but he said their story changed a few weeks later.

"He told us he had been in there installing chillers all weekend because they were going to start doing produce, but we never saw any produce trucks show up, either,” Davis said.

Narcotics officers said they found nearly $20,000 of equipment used to grow marijuana.

Ryan Few was arrested and charged with manufacturing marijuana, a felony.

Faherty went to his home in Hickory on Friday, but no one answered the door.

Davis said he wasn't surprised that someone would choose that stretch of Sawmills to grow $150,000 worth of pot.

"It's a good place. It's close to a major highway. There are cars coming up here all the time so no one would think anything about it," Davis said.

Deputies said they waited months for fingerprint evidence to come back before making the arrest.

Few was released from police custody after posting bond.

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