K9 Sniffs Out Third Marijuana Grow Operation In Placentia Industrial Complex

PLACENTIA (CBSLA.com) — A police K9 sniffed out a large marijuana grow operation inside an industrial suite worth as much as half a million dollars, police said Monday.

Approximately 600 live plants and 100 pounds of packaged marijuana with an estimated street value of $500,000 were found Monday inside an industrial suite in the 700 block of Monroe Way, Placentia police said.

Police K9 Officer Habo alerted his handler, Officer Chris Anderson, to a specific suite, the third such suite sniffed out by the dog in the industrial complex, officers said.

In this instance, the marijuana growers tried to conceal the odor of the plants by burning fragrance crystals in crockpots by the entrance.

"Drug dealers have attempted to fool law enforcement officers with assorted masking agents for years," Placentia police Lt. Eric Point said in a statement, but "none of these tricks work with a well-trained drug detection dog."

No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.