Operation Green Reaper Strikes Again
South Sound Raids Yields 4,495 Marijuana Plants

FEB 25 -- (Seattle) –On Monday February 23, 2009, federal agents and local authorities executed 8 federal search warrants involving indoor marijuana grow operations in Thurston and Pierce Counties. The collaborative effort by law enforcement was part of ‘Operation Green Reaper’, targeting the command and control components of the Puget Sound’s indoor marijuana grow organizations and was investigated by law enforcement officials from the Drug Enforcement Administration and Tahoma Narcotics Enforcement Team (TNET), which is comprised of the Washington State Patrol, Washington Department of Corrections, Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, and the Tacoma, Puyallup, Bonney Lake, and Auburn Police Departments.

DEA Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Arnold R. Moorin stated, “Operation Green Reaper continues to have a pronounced impact on these organizations and we will continue our collective efforts with our law enforcement partners, for the benefit of our communities."

In conjunction with these raids, law enforcement seized 4,495 marijuana plants from six residences, approximately 2,000 tablets of MDMA, 5 vehicles, and U.S Currency. The following five subjects were arraigned in federal court and have been charged federally with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute marijuana and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute:

Amanda Ky Nguyen, 62, of Seattle, Washington

Quang Vinh Vu, 48, of Ontario, Canada

Quoc Viet Huynh Nguyen, 28, of Glendale, Arizona

Ha Thuy Le, 43, of Ontario, Canada

Xuan Thanh Trang, 35, of Massachusetts

The above offenses and charges are punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million dollar fine.