PHOENIX (AP) - Authorities say 500 marijuana plants were found in an illegal growing operation run out of a storage building in south Phoenix.
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio says his investigators have taken eight people into custody and are seeking the arrests of eight others after officers raided the building Wednesday morning.
About $100,000 of marijuana growing equipment also was seized in the seven-month investigation.
Officers wearing surgical masks carried marijuana plants out of the building.
Arpaio says his investigators confirmed that the growing operation was illegal.
Arizona’s medical marijuana law lets registered patients grow pot if there isn’t a registered dispensary operating within 25 miles of their homes.
The amount of marijuana produced by the growing operation wasn’t available.
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