The City of Renton is in the process of taking legal action to seize and sell a property that is believed to be one of many involved in a large-scale illegal marijuana grow operation.
According to a city council agenda document, in the fall of 2021, the Renton Police Department seized two houses, including a property in Tukwila, for intended forfeiture because of the houses’ connection to drug manufacturing.
According to charging documents, police were first tipped about suspicious activity at the one of the properties on Nov. 29, 2022, when neighbors made complaints to the anonymous narcotic complaint tip line regarding short stay traffic — reporting vehicles showing up at odd hours of the day and night, subjects walking in empty handed and shortly after leaving with full plastic bags, and the defendant placing plastic bags in the garbage can for subjects to retrieve them.
After a search warrant was issued on Dec. 13, 2022, SWAT searched the property and located commercial grade exhaust fans, several pond pumps, boxes of black fabric cloth grow bags, a green leafy substance that tested positive for marijuana, and a large black tote with bits of green leafy substance in the defendant’s residence. In the defendant’s vehicle, officers located a little more than 3 pounds of confirmed processed marijuana and clear plastic bags.
Before this case, the defendant, Wozheng Lei, was a suspect in a case from the previous year in which 19 detectives served three warrants and recovered 523.90 pounds of processed marijuana, $83,000 in marijuana growing equipment, and 364 marijuana plants. This case occurred at a property in Tukwila, Lei’s primary residence, according to charging documents.
Lei was arrested on Nov. 29, 2022, and charged with VUCSA-Possession with Intent to Deliver Marijuana, Delivery of Marijuana and Conspiracy to Deliver Marijuana.
In a document attached to the city’s draft of a settlement agreement between the property owners and the city of Renton, it is listed that authorities found and released items from the defendant’s property that included more than $44,000 in U.S. currency, more than $1,000 in Canadian currency, $1,625 in unspecified foreign currency, $150 in Hong Kong currency, a Chinese personal I.D., three Chinese bank cards, a Social Security card, a passport, a green card, and designer-brand purses and wallets.
A spokesperson for the city of Renton said that final details of a settlement between the city and property owner are not yet available. However, the settlement is expected to have terms in which if and when the property was sold, a percentage would be returned to the owner, with a percentage to the city, specifically to support further narcotics investigative work.
According to the draft of the settlement, the Renton property believed to be involved is at 15908 SE 175th St., and the property owner is named as Yang Li.
