snohomish regional drug & gang task force

23
Snohomish Regional Drug & Gang Task Force Completed by M. King, Administrative Assistant 3000 Rockefeller Ave, M/S 606, Everett, WA 98201 www.srdtf.org 2015 Year End Report

Upload: others

Post on 04-Feb-2022

1 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

Snohomish Regional

Drug & Gang

Task Force

Completed by M. King, Administrative Assistant

3000 Rockefeller Ave, M/S 606, Everett, WA 98201

www.srdtf.org

2015 Year End Report

From the Commander…

We had a great year in reference to our investigations. We had several major cases that have taken up quite a bit of time come to an end. Our Highway 99 project has grown into nuisance/drug homes and we are seeing great results. Our team is made up of members from the Task Force, the Snohomish Health District, Snohomish County Code Enforcement, Catholic Community Services, Veteran’s Affairs. We occasionally reach out to DOC, CPS and the Department of Ecology. We continue to information share with the Snohomish County Auto Theft Task Force. Sharing an

office with them has shown to be extremely successful as multiple cases in 2015 involved both agen-

cies.

Heroin continues to be at an epidemic level and is increasing. We are continuing our Narcan pro-

gram and educating officers throughout Snohomish County. We had over 23 lives saved in 2015

thanks to Narcan kits being available.

Our Facebook page is a great resource to keep updated on our community events, meetings, presen-

tations and nuisance/drug checks.

Thank you for your continued support. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at [email protected] or (360) 657-1764. Sincerely,

Commander Pat Slack

Statement of Purpose Law enforcement agencies are faced with the responsibility of drug investigations continuing with decreasing resources. Na-tionwide, multi-jurisdictional Task Forces have proven their ability to make significant impacts on crime. Such units are an extremely effi-cient use of law enforcement re-sources. The cost effectiveness of SRDGTF for city and county re-sources is enhanced by the partici-pation of the county Prosecutor’s office, as well as, state and federal agencies. This integrated ap-proach to drug investigations has shown proven effectiveness throughout the United States as a positive approach to combating the increasing lawlessness that surrounds drug activity within our society.

The SRDGTF is a multi-

jurisdictional unit partially sup-

ported by federal funds. All other

support is from the individual

agencies within Snohomish Coun-

ty. No single agency controls the

Task Force. Each member is an

equal in the unit, working as a

team player towards the unit’s

goals and objectives.

Mission and Goals

Mission Statement The mission of the Snohomish Regional Drug & Gang Task Force is to target drug trafficking or-ganizations and street gangs in an effort to reduce drug availability and trafficking in Washington State and Snohomish County, thereby improving the quality of life in our communities.

Goals Reduce the number of drug traffickers

and gang members in the communi-ties of Snohomish County through the professional investigation, apprehen-sion and conviction.

Efficiently attack, disrupt, prosecute individual and organized mid to upper level drug traffickers and street gang members who do not recognize juris-dictional boundaries or limitations, and by doing so, impact drug traffick-ing organizations previously impregna-ble.

Enhance drug enforcement coopera-tion and coordination through multi-agency investigations, training of local jurisdictions and the sharing of re-sources and information.

To address these issues with the fore-most consideration of safety for both law enforcement and the community.

Snohomish Regional Drug & Gang Task Force Executive Board

Chief of Everett {Assistant Chair}, Chief of Lynnwood, Snohomish County Sheriff {Chair},

Snohomish County Prosecutor, City of Everett Attorney and the SRDGTF Commander

Investigative Information In 2015 we opened 342 cases and had 157 arrests. Out of those arrests, 107 of them were related to heroin cases. 37 of them were related to meth cases. These are the top 2 drugs that we are cur-rently seeing in our community.

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Cases Opened 414 362 288 351 342

Arrests 251 146 124 172 157

Seizures & Forfeitures

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

# of vehicles 73 47 15 26 33

Cash Seized 707,188 482,363 268,361 991,341 149,908

State Forfeitures 393,880 623,425 429,332 861,182 291,467

Drug Presentations We had a busy year with educational trainings, drug presentations and community meetings. We attended 26 events and talked to over 4,776 indi-viduals. These events included school talks, neigh-borhood meetings, National Night Out and safety meetings.

Sno Co Partnership for Secure Medicine

Disposal –

Pounds Collected by Year

2010: 3096 lbs (Final Wts)

2011: 4552 lbs (Final Wts)

2012: 5367 lbs (Final Wts)

2013: 7098 lbs (Final Wts)

2014: 7824 lbs (Estimated Wts)

2015: 8070 lbx (Jan—Sept 28)

Law Enforcement Locations Open to Public –

2012 thru 2015 Pounds Collected

2013 2014 2015 (through Sept)

Arlington PD 370 441 259

Bothell PD 454 672 378

Brier PD 31 56 25

Darrington PD 38 25 0

Edmonds PD 561 613 303

Everett PD – North Precinct 404 534 290

Everett PD – South Precinct 271 321 79

Gold Bar PD Box still in progress 21 0

Granite Falls PD 33 68 21

Lake Forest Park PD 202 305 155

Lake Stevens PD 227 229 179

Lynnwood PD 834 864 355

Marysville PD 1022 620 183

Mill Creek PD 224 308 264

Monroe PD 251 520 142

Mountlake Terrace PD 216 271 218

Mukilteo PD 307 216 145

NCIS – Naval Station Everett Box still in progress 43 38

SCSO – 4th Floor Lobby 16 17 26

SCSO – Jail Lobby 15 25 86

SCSO – North Precinct 56 72 44

SCSO – South Precinct 568 437 315

Snohomish PD 286 404 209

Stanwood PD 298 494 216

Sultan PD 52 42 43

Swinomish Tribal PD 59 18 33

WSP – Marysville 50 58 31

**NOTE: Poundage difference between total 2012 thru 2014 pounds collected by law

enforcement locations and the total yearly pounds collected is attributable to collection

locations not open to public.

HIDTA Award Winners—February 2016 NORTHWEST HIDTA – Director Dave Rodriguez OUTSTANDING PREVENTION EFFORT – Snohomish County Opiate Project Established in 2014, this project counters the alarming increase in opiate availability, use, and addiction in the county. To accomplish this, a countywide take-back program and public aware-ness campaign was launched. The highest priority was to reduce the number of opiate-related overdose deaths by equipping participating law enforcement agencies and community service organizations with Naloxone and training on its use. In order to track the outcomes of each overdose intervention, a self-addressed stamped postcard accompanies each Nalox-one kit. As a result, many lives have been saved.

SNOHOMISH COUNTY OPIATE PROJECT

Since 2010 the rate of opiate/opioid use (prescription drug and heroin) has increased throughout our county. The rate of opiate/opioid overdoses resulting in death has also increased significantly.

In 2014 Snohomish County had the highest opiate overdose death rate in the state of Washington (1 in every 5 overdose deaths in Washington occur in Snohomish County). As a result Snohomish Coun-ty has increased efforts to respond to the rising need in our communities. Collaborative efforts are focused on addressing the needs of those at risk of, or those experiencing an opiate substance use disorder.

Snohomish County submitted a discretionary grant proposal to HIDTA in 2014 and was awarded funds to better help communities fight this epidemic, and to train and provide naloxone to law en-forcement personnel and other key community partners in an attempt to reduce the death rate caused by opiate/opioid overdoses.

12 training sessions were held,

23 lives have been saved so far!

During the summer of 2015, along with the Marysville Detachment WSP, we put together a fundraiser for Kellogg Marsh Elementary School in Marysville. WSP purchased backpacks and the Task Force purchased thermal lunch bags and cinch sacs. We filled all of the bags with needed school supplies for the kids.

During October and November of 2015, the Task Force collected food for teen moms in Stanwood. We were able to donate quite a bit to help out the 13 moms and kids that are in need.

Community Outreach

Drug and Nuisance Homes Project

Working with Snohomish County Code Enforcement, Snohomish Health District, Catholic Community Services, VA Services and patrol, we continue to grow our drug and nui-sance home project. By teaming up together to visit these properties, we are able to identify the problems on the properties for each of the agencies and attack them together. We have also had De-partment of Corrections, CPS and Department of Ecology involved in a few of our properties. We have had several homes successfully boarded up in 2015

2015 Statistics 76 new cases opened {36 cases carried over from 2014} 89 cases closed 51 were closed with drug issues re-solved 28 were Code Enforcement/Health District assists

While some of the properties are quick to clean up, many take quite a bit of time. We reach out to property owners and banks to get them involved. Most of the time this includes the eviction process.

A map of our drug/nuisance homes from January 2015 to now. Green points are locations that have been closed {homes boarded up, tenants evicted, owners taken over, lots cleared, etc.} Red points are current locations we are working on with Snohomish County Code Enforcement, Snohomish Health District, Catholic Community Services and directed patrol.

Case Summaries

TF15-237 In July 2015, a CI told an HSI Agent about an unknown Hispanic male who was selling large amounts of heroin and in Western Washington. It was arranged to have the CI meet with this male in an attempt to identify him. He was followed to a residence in Snohomish County. During this meet, detectives were told that he sells large amounts of heroin and he usually gets in 10-12 kilos at a time. In August 2015, a secondary meet was arranged between where the CI picked up a one ounce heroin sample. The CI said the suspect was willing to sell to the CI, and wanted to start with smaller quantities, 5 kilograms on their first deal. The end of August, 2015, the CI arranged to meet the suspect to purchase five kilograms of heroin for $36,000 each. HSI Agents and TFOs set up on the suspect’s residence. A pickup arrived and picked up the suspect Eventually the truck met with the CI and the suspect showed the CI several packages of what appeared to be heroin inside a gym bag. The CI agreed to meet later for the deal. The truck left the meet and a traffic stop was conducted. Two individuals were taken into custody. An Agent noticed a broken cellular phone and semi-automatic pistol was on the floorboards. Post Miranda, one suspect acknowledged that he knew that there were drugs inside the bag. The second suspect was advised of his Miranda and Ferrier Warnings. He granted Agents/ Officers permission to search his residence. A WA state search warrant was obtained and later served on this vehicle. The gun that had been seen during the traffic stop was recovered and it was a Colt 45 Special Edition. On the back seat the gym bag was found and contained 8 packages of suspected heroin. This later was found to weigh approximately 5.2 kilograms. On 08/27/15, the US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of WA agreed to charge the suspect.

Heroin Dealer As a result of the use of a controlled source, we able to identify a heroin dealer who was living in the south Everett area. The CS performed several successful controlled buys resulting in a warrant for the arrest of the suspect and a search of his residence and vehicles. The search warrant was successful yielding 388 grams of Methamphetamine, 19 grams of Heroin, and $10,278 in U.S. Currency. An additional search warrant was writ-ten for an associated vehicle and yielded 3 grams of Cocaine, 26 grams of Methamphetamine, and 4 grams of Heroin. The suspect in the case was booked into the Snohomish County Jail for possession with intent to de-liver.

Convicted felon—Meth/Heroin Dealer Through an interview with a CS we learned of a subject (Convicted Felon) who was selling Heroin/Meth out of his residence. Through discussion with detectives, we learned that this particular residence was associat-ed with a large wire case and was in fact high in activity. Detectives received information from the wire room that in October, the suspect took delivery of 5 lbs of drugs from suspects in the wire case. Based on this in-formation it was decided that we would attempt to set up a buy between our suspects. The controlled buy was successful and the CS purchased 3.9 grams of Heroin from his residence. As a result, a search warrant was written for the arrest of our suspect and the search of his residence. The service of the S/W was con-ducted during the early morning hours . Our suspect was located inside the residence and was arrested/booked. The search yielded 1,399 grams of Methamphetamine, 63 grams of Heroin, 2 firearms, and $13,039.

“Magic Bullet”

SRDGTF initiated controlled buys in the winter of 2014 with Johnson. Johnson was a heroin dis-tributor for “LC”. SRDGTF served a search warrant at Nelson’s residence in South Snohomish County and recovered a substantial amount of heroin and methamphetamine. Furthermore, 4 stolen firearms, and U.S. currency was seized.

Johnson cooperated which resulted in a controlled buy of his supplier – LC. A search warrant was obtained for LC’s apartment. Approx. $40,000 in U.S. currency, 1 kilo of heroin and approx. 1 pound of methamphetamine was recovered.

LC agreed to cooperate and called his suppliers which were Mexican Nationals living in California. LC talked his suppli-ers into bringing 5 lbs. of heroin up from California. The in-vestigation culminated in the arrest of LC’s suppliers in Feb-ruary of 2015 in a motel. Detectives seized 5 pounds of hero-in and a stolen handgun from LC’s suppliers.

Detectives seized:

3,425 grams of heroin

420 grams of methamphetamine

5 firearms {4 of which were stolen}

2 vehicles

$42,899 in US Currency

“Party All Night”

SRDGTF conducted an investigation into three individuals. All three subjects were living in the same house in South Snohomish County. All three were trafficking Cocaine, LSD, MDMA, Molly, DOM, prescription pills, and several other designer drugs to the Rave crowd in Seattle and Snohomish County.

The SRDGTF Conducted controlled buys and executed a search warrant at the Lynnwood home in June of 2015. All three were arrested.

One of the suspects is cooperating with the SRDGTF and has identified his source of supply. This is an ongoing investigation.

Detectives seized:

351 grams of cocaine

180 grams of MDMA

28.4 grams of MDA

55 grams of DOM {Dimetnoxy 4 methamphetamine}

350 doses of LSD

100”s of prescription pills

Clonazepam

Xanax

Alprazolam

Dextromethamphetamine

Byprenophin

* $7,920.50 in US Currency

Title III Case During the latter part of 2014 and throughout 2015, Detective Rucker and Detective Spellman worked a joint Title III wire investigation into a drug trafficking organization (DTO) with the DEA. The DEA was responsible for staffing the wire room, working with the AUSA and filing all of the requisite federal paperwork. SRDGTF detectives were responsible for the field work involved with corroborating information received over the wire and the day to day operations involving the surveilling, following, researching, identifying, locating, and photographing various members of the DTO. Based on information received via the wire, there were four incidents that the SRDGTF had to handle in per-son based on varying circumstances. Those cases were as follows: TF 15-160 On 6/03/15 SRDGTF Detectives Rucker and Spellman were contacted by Special Agent J. Dittoe in regards to a drug runner in the DTO. According to information obtained by the DEA through various investigational sources, the drug runner had left the DTO and stolen drugs and money during his departure. As a result of the theft, other DTO members were threatening that runner’s safety, specifically kidnapping and killing him. SA Dittoe informed me that the DEA had received information that another member of the DTO was meeting with a group of males in an attempt to locate and apprehend the drug runner. At approximately 3:00pm, SRDGTF detectives located the group of males associated with the DTO at Norm’s Market located in Lake Stevens. Lake Stevens PD and Arlington Officer S. Kinney (along with his K9 partner Oso), initiated a stop on the vehicles identified as being driven by the DTO members in the 1900 block of Main Street, Lake Stevens. Officer Kinney located a Smith & Wesson 40 caliber handgun on the floorboard of one of the vehicles loaded with 10 hollow-point rounds. The gun was contained in a nylon holster. The holster was the style that would snap onto a belt. Also inside the vehicle was a paintball rifle, and a military-grade, heavy-plated ballistic vest with a camouflage cover. TF 15-241 On 8/21/15 Detective Spellman received information from DEA Special Agent J. Dittoe and DEA Special Agent J. Peres that a possible money-load vehicle had arrived at one of the suspect houses in Marysville, WA. SA Dittoe informed Detective Spellman the vehicle was leaving the residence. She assisted the DEA agents with following the vehicle southbound to Chehalis, where a marked patrol unit initiated a stop on the vehicle. Once the stop was concluded the occupants were released and the vehicle was taken to the DEA Seattle Office pending a search warrant. On 8/26/15 SA Peres in obtained and executed a search warrant on the vehicle. Inside they located US currency totaling $349,300 stored in hidden compartments (aka traps). The DEA seized the currency and impounded it.

TF 15-267 On 10/15/15 Detective Spellman received information from DEA Special Agent J. Peres that large heroin pur-chase was anticipated to occur in the Marysville. SA Peres received additional information that the transaction would occur at the Taco Bell parking lot off Interstate 5 exit 202 (Marysville). SRDGTF detectives set up in surveillance positions in the parking lot and observed a vehicle registered to the customer who had arranged the purchase. The female got out of her vehicle and into a DTO vehicle. She exited the DTO vehicle a few minutes later and got back into her vehicle. SRDGTF detectives followed the Camry to Kingston where it was stopped by a marked patrol unit. The female passenger was confirmed to be the customer who had arranged the heroin purchase. Detective Templeton searched the vehicle. Inside they located a leather backpack containing four bundles of narcotics. Two of the bundles were heroin and weighed a total of 5lbs. The other two bundles contained methamphetamines and weighed a total of 3 lbs. The amount of cash found in the backpack totaled $2,206. TF 15-270 On 10/17/15 detectives of the Snohomish Regional Drug and Gang Task Force executed of a narcotics search warrant in Lake Stevens, WA. Detective McCormick conducted an investigation that determined the occupant of that residence, was selling methamphetamines from inside. Detectives searched the main residence and located the suspect inside. He was placed under arrest and the fol-lowing evidence was seized from the house:

Methamphetamines: 1,399 grams (approximately 3.5 lbs) Heroin: 63 grams (approximately 2.5 ounces) Several digital scales with white and brown residue A total of $13,039 in US currency located throughout the master bedroom Packaging material – several small clear zip lock baggies located in the master bedroom Dessert Eagle 44 caliber handgun found in the master bedroom safe 7.34 caliber rifle found in the living room

The Federal portion of the Title III Wire investigation into the Villa Alvarez DTO concluded on 11/5/2015 with multiple agencies assisting with the service of 10, simultaneous federal search warrants throughout Snohomish County:

12 people were arrested on federal drug and money laundering charges The search warrants yielded a total of 44 pounds of meth 16 pounds of heroin 5 firearms cash seizure of $493,493.00.

The 15 month investigation resulted in the total seizure of:

32 Arrests 108 pounds of meth 62 pounds of heroin 14 handguns 15 vehicles $1,652,000.00

To date, 24 people have been federally indicted for drug, money laundering and weapons charges

Snohomish County officers carry overdose prevention kits Teresa Yuan, KING 5 News

3:09 p.m. PDT May 8, 2015

EVERETT, Wash. – Narcotic abuse is an epidemic across the country and police say it's hitting Snohomish County

hard.

Hundreds of officers were recently trained on the use of overdose prevention kits that include a nasal spray meant

to save lives. Officers can administer an antidote called Naloxone through the spray. Naloxone works in minutes to

stop the drug's effects.

"Certainly some say an unusual approach for law enforcement to be delivering this sort of potentially life-saving

antidote to a drug overdose," said Lt. Ted Olafson with Snohomish Regional Drug and Gang Task Force. "But the

problem is real. This is a fairly easily done program in effort to save some lives."

The drug problem in Snohomish County is so bad, law enforcement says more people are dying from overdoses

than car accidents. The county got a federal grant for the program because of the heroin epidemic it's seeing. The

health district reports two-thirds of the accidental poisoning deaths in the county in 2013 were caused by heroin or

prescription drugs.

If the kits prove successful, Lt. Olafson hopes to get them out to other law enforcement, and more widely available

in the community.

Medics in Snohomish County and around Puget Sound have carried the kits for some time. However, law enforce-

ment is often the first to arrive on scene, so it makes sense for them to carry them as well.

These kits are also available to the Snohomish County community through the needle exchange program, as well as

eight local pharmacies. They don't require a prescription and are safe to administer.

Newspaper Articles

Lynnwood man with guns, drugs, anti-tank weapon gets 10 years By Diana Hefley

Herald Writer

@dianahefley

SEATTLE — A man caught with large amounts of drugs and guns, including an anti-tank weapon, was sentenced

earlier this summer to a decade in federal prison.

Aaron Knapp, 41, was the target of separate investigations by the Snohomish Regional Drug and Gang Task Force

and the Everett Police Department. Knapp was indicted late last year on multiple drugs and weapons charges.

Knapp was long suspected of dealing large quantities of drugs in Snohomish County and using weapons to further

his narcotics trafficking.

He pleaded guilty to two crimes earlier this year. As part of the plea agreement both sides recommended a 10-year

sentence.

Knapp was arrested by police “with dealer-quantity amounts of methamphetamine and heroin on three different oc-

casions in a 10 month period. These interactions with law enforcement didn’t deter him,” Assistant U.S. Attorney

Catherine Crisham wrote.

Knapp has been under investigation for pedaling drugs in Snohomish County since at least 2013. Detectives were

watching Knapp’s Lynnwood house after reportedly hearing from several sources that he was selling meth and hero-

in out of the home. Sources reported that Knapp was buying and selling guns, too.

He was arrested in Aug. 2013 and found with drugs. Police arrested him again in December of that year. Detectives

found a stolen pistol inside his pants. Knapp claimed he didn’t know the gun was there. They searched his house and

found heroin, meth, money and more guns.

Knapp was out of custody pending trial on those two separate cases when he was arrested in June 2014 outside an

Everett storage unit.

He’d arranged to sell drugs to an informant who was working with police. A drug-sniffing dog nosed out narcotics in

his car and storage locker. Investigators found a combined pound of meth and heroin, $47,000 in cash and three

guns. Detectives searched his storage locker and found more than a dozen firearms, including a Finnish anti-tank gun

dating back to World War II. About half the guns were stolen. Knapp told detectives he was an unemployed student

collecting money from a state Labor and Industries injury claim. At the time he was listed as the owner of The Filthy

Technician, an automotive repair business.

Knapp had taken “steps to live a productive and crime-free life upon being released from prison,” Crisham wrote.

“Unfortunately, the defendant has continued to struggle with his drug addictions. He nevertheless bears ultimately

responsibility for his decisions and the criminal actions he has engaged in as an adult.”

Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; [email protected]. Twit-

ter: @dianahefley.

© 2016 The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA

© 20

16 T

he

Dai-

ly

Her-

ald

Co.,

Ev-

erett,

WA

12 arrested after big heroin and meth indictment

Thursday, November 5, 2015

SEATTLE — Federal authorities say they seized 50 pounds of heroin and more than 100 pounds of metham-

phetamine over a two-year investigation into a drug trafficking ring working in Snohomish and King counties.

A dozen people were arrested Thursday as Drug Enforcement Administration agents and other agencies raided

10 locations in the two counties. The majority of the suspects lived in Snohomish County, including

Marysville, Stanwood and Everett.

Court documents detail a sophisticated operation with dozens of players.

The suspected ringleader, Carlos Antonio Villa-Alvarez, lived in Marysville off 89th Place NE. Investigators

say another house on 122nd Street in Marysville was the “hub” of the organization’s activity. Detectives have

been monitoring the hub using remote cameras since December, according to a complaint filed Thursday in

U.S. District Court in Seattle. Detectives also listened in on hundreds of phone calls.

Authorities believe Villa-Alvarez is in Mexico.

During Thursday’s raids, police seized 14 pounds of heroin, 43 pounds of methamphetamine, a large amount of

cash and eight handguns, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

To date, police have seized more than $1.1 million tied to the trafficking ring.

A federal grand jury last week indicted 20 people, including Villa-Alvarez, with conspiracy to distribute drugs.

The investigation was led by the DEA with assistance from the Snohomish Regional Drug and Gang Task

Force and the Seattle Police Department.

Heroin deaths rates have quadrupled over the past decade, according to the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention. In Snohomish County, heroin and prescription opioids were responsible for two-thirds of the 130

accidental overdose deaths in 2013.

The sheriff’s office reported in June that more than 90 percent of the inmates in the county jail’s medical unit

were withdrawing from heroin. Meanwhile, roughly 70 percent of those admitted to the county’s only publicly

funded detox facility report that heroin is their drug of choice.

Heroin use exploded in recent years as people

addicted to prescription pain medications looked

for a cheaper alternative.

Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; [email protected].

Twitter: @dianahefley.

© 2016 The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA

Hash-oil production led to Maltby fire, officials say

Herald staff

MALTBY — A fire in a home near Maltby on Sunday night was started by a man who was trying to manufacture

hash oil, officials said.

The fire was reported about 11 p.m. in the 18200 block of Broadway Avenue. It started in the garage and spread

into the second floor and attic, said Heather Chadwick, spokeswoman for Snohomish County Fire District 7.

The man, 50, suffered burns and was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. The Snohomish Regional

Drug and Gang Task Force is investigating, sheriff’s spokeswoman Shari Ireton said.

Hash oil, a derivative of the marijuana plant, is illegal and dangerous to make. Multiple explosions in Washing-

ton, some with injuries, have been linked to its production in recent years. Hash oil production also was blamed

for a house fire near Edmonds in September.

Firefighters got to the Maltby fire quickly, and the damage was mostly contained to the garage, Chadwick said.

However, there was smoke damage throughout the two-story split-level home. Crews also responded from Fire

District 1 and Snohomish.