Courtesy Nye County Sheriff's Office
A photo provided by the Nye County Sheriff’s Office shows a marijuana grow house raided in Pahrump on Friday.
Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2011 | 2:37 p.m.
The Nye County Sheriff’s Office discovered a large marijuana grow house in Pahrump on Friday.
Officials raided the house in the 200 block of Wilbur Way on Friday afternoon and discovered a tunnel leading to the growing area, which had an elaborate wiring and water system worth as much as $100,000, officials said.
Most of the marijuana had already been harvested. Detectives found about 50 pounds of harvested plants and about 100 plants that still were growing.
Nye County officials said the person they suspect of being responsible for the grow house, 59-year-old Willi Wirz, was recently arrested in Nebraska, where he was found with 30 pounds of marijuana.
Wirz, who is still in custody in Nebraska, will be charged in Pahrump with possessing a controlled substance with the intent to sell and maintaining a residence for the purpose of narcotics, Nye County officials said.
Detectives said Wirz was renting the home and the owners of the property weren't involved in any criminal activity. The house has major damage that will cost thousands of dollars to repair, officials said.
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