Cops bust abandoned grow-op

The hydroponic lights were on but nobody was home.

On January 14, Salmon Arm RCMP executed a search warrant at a residence on the Trans Canada Highway near Blind Bay and found a fully operational grow op.

"The home and shop were outfitted as a large marijuana grow operation, with the capacity of producing 3000 plants. No one was home at the time of police attendance and it appears that this grow operation had been abandoned," says Salmon Arm RCMP Staff Sergeant Kevin Keane.

Keane says although the equipment was still running, approximately 2000 smaller plants were found in various stages of decay.

"There's plants just dying. Nobody was tending it. It looks like someone just got up and left," says Keane.

He says he has never seen something like this before and can't explain why someone would leave thousands of plants to decay.

Investigation continues into the matter.