Large pot bust in Covert Twp pole barn

COVERT TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) - Three men are accused in connection with a large marijuana grow operation discovered inside a pole barn.

The suspects are a 51-year-old man from South Haven, a 28-year-old man from South Haven and a 51-year-old man from Coloma.

The Covert Township Police Department contacted the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office Narcotics Unit in reference to a possible marijuana grow in a pole barn in the 76000 block of 48th Avenue.

Detectives arrived at the scene Wednesday and saw a man go inside a white box van backed up to the barn, according to a news release.

Detectives, a deputy from the Van Buren County Uniform Response Division and a Covert Township officer talked with the man.

Authorities then obtained a search warrant for the pole barn, executed the warrant at 1:30 p.m., and noticed the interior was being remodeled and several individual rooms were being built. Two of the rooms had doors on them. Marijuana grow operations were located inside the two rooms, and a total of 27 marijuana plants were seized, police said. Several individual Ziploc bags containing processed marijuana, weighing about 1 pound, were located in another room.

Equipment used in the manufacturing of marijuana, scales, packaging materials, $800 in cash, a 2004 Mercedes Benz van and paperwork were also seized during the search.

Anyone with more information about this incident is asked to call the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office at 269.657.3101, Crime Stoppers at 1.800.342.7867 or Silent Observer at 269.343.2100. They can also use a mobile phone to text anonymous tips to "CRIMES" (274637) with the keyword VBCTIP. They can also submit anonymous tips on the Sheiff's Office website.