Pot bust called Oak Harbor's biggest

"Oak Harbor police say officers discovered two bags of nearly 70 pounds of marijuana — which amounted to the department’s biggest drug bust ever — in a parked car at a north Oak Harbor motel early Saturday morning.Oak Harbor Police Capt. Rick Wallace said an Oak Harbor man and three Canadians were arrested over the weekend in connection with the drug seizure and what they believe is a local drug ring.According to Wallace, the police first came to the scene in response to a 911 call from Jason’s Restaurant because the three Canadian men were reportedly acting disorderly.Officers discovered the marijuana, he said, by looking in the window of a parked car and noticing what appeared to be a giant bag of pot. After a Navy drug-sniffing dog “alerted” to the car, he said the officers had enough probable cause to get a search warrant.Wallace said investigators found two duffle bags full of 69 individually-wrapped pounds of pot. The total weight of the marijuana, however, is somewhat less than 69 pounds because of the weight of all the plastic. The three men from British Columbia were arrested at the scene on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.After an investigation, detectives were able to get a search warrant on an Oak Harbor man’s home. During the search, Wallace said they seized a small amount of marijuana and cash.The 42-year-old resident was also arrested on possession with intent to distribute. Wallace said investigators believe he was involved in a scheme with the Canadians to sell the marijuana locally.Wallace said the investigation is continuing and there may be more arrests to come.The three Canadian men — a 38-year-old, a 36-year-old and a 26-year-old — were arraigned Saturday and their bail was set at $75,000 each. The Oak Harbor man was arraigned Monday. His bail was set at $200,000.At about $4,000 a pound, Wallace said the seized marijuana was worth about $276,000. He said much of the marijuana being smoked in Washington and Oregon these days is from British Columbia."

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.