GRANITE FALLS — A police raid near Granite Falls on Thursday was part of an ongoing investigation into the trafficking of heroin, firearms and stolen property.
Detectives with the north Snohomish County Property Crimes Unit spent roughly five hours Thursday collecting evidence at the home along Skinner Road, south of town, detective Margaret Ludwig said.
Activity at the house is a problem in the neighborhood, she said.
“Every single person on that street who drove by was ecstatic,”she said. “One lady was actually crying when she stopped to say ‘Thank you.’ Everybody was giving us the thumbs up or waving.”
Multiple tipsters had told police the house was a place where stolen goods could be exchanged for heroin, Ludwig said. No arrests were made Thursday, though the ongoing investigation is focused on about 20 suspects.
The owner of the half-acre property is said to be living in another county, Ludwig said. The parcel had been divided up into multiple rented living areas, where as many as eight people were staying.
The house had power and water but was filthy and infested with insects, Ludwig said.
“There were needles everywhere, needles and other paraphernalia everywhere,” she said.
Items found at the property on Thursday may turn out to be stolen, including laptops, chain saws and other power tools, Ludwig said. Unfortunately, none of the serial numbers on the items matched burglary reports filed in law enforcement databases. Detective still are looking for links to burglaries, she said.
Investigations involving heroin users, drug houses and stolen property cases are intricately connected across the county, Ludwig said.
Thursday’s search didn’t result in any arrests nor did it turn up a large amount of drugs, but it shows the neighborhood “we know what’s going on and we’re working on it,” she said.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.
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