PIERCE COUNTY, Ga. — Georgia officials went to raid an alleged food manufacturing facility in Pierce County, but instead found an illegal indoor grow operation and millions of dollars in marijuana.
According to the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA), four Chinese citizens were arrested in connection to one of the biggest drug busts in state history. Officials say 11,153 plants in various stages were found inside the rural south Georgia marijuana growing facility.
In a press conference Tuesday, GDA officials said that an investigation was launched after an undercover Pierce County Sheriff's deputy learned the facility was being used to grow and process food. However, upon raiding the facility, officials quickly discovered it was a cover-up for the true operation.
“The sheriff and his team reached out to our law enforcement division to help them investigate that particular facility, and because of that, that falls in our jurisdiction,” Georgia Department of Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper said.
A warrant was obtained, and three men and one woman, all Chinese citizens, were arrested in the raid.
Officials say it's believed that the group started the marijuana-growing operation in Pierce County sometime in 2022, as it was a fully functional facility.
"What we found was a very high-tech growing operation utilizing electric lighting, and they were watering by hand and had a tailwater recovery system so that any excess water where they watered the plants was recovered and then put back in their holding facility and used again," Sheriff Ramsey Bennett said.
The sheriff added the department thinks the group shipped the product out of state, anywhere from New York City to Houston, and that they were possibly part of a much larger drug ring.
The suspects remain in jail after their bonds were denied, with one of them being held on an immigration detainer due to their immigration status. All face multiple drug charges, including possession, manufacturing and trafficking.
The Pierce County Sheriff's Office says the investigation is ongoing, and the FBI and DEA are now involved.
