Deputies from the Island County Sheriff’s Office arrested a Clinton man and seized marijuana plants with an estimated street value of nearly $15,000 during a raid early Tuesday evening.

“We served a search warrant for a marijuana grow operation in Clinton and recovered more than 50 starter plants, six plants 3 feet or taller and two dozen big, fully-mature plants that were drying,” said Island County Undersheriff Kelly Mauck.

The arrest marked the first South End drug bust for 2008. A suspect, a man in his 30s, was booked into Island County Jail and released, Mauck said.

“If there is not a crime of violence, then releasing him gives us time to do a better and more thorough investigation,” Mauck said.

The suspect’s house is located in the 3600 block of Kingston Court in Scatchet Head.

Detectives have investigated the Clinton marijuana grow operation since December and it isn’t the only case police are looking at, Mauck said.

“We have investigations for drug activity currently going on. Sooner or later, people are going to have to figure out drug activity is not welcome in Island County,” he said.

In the past year, the Island County Sheriff’s Office investigated 42 cases of manufacturing and drug delivery, Mauck said. Some are still under review.

“We also served 19 narcotic search warrants, making 25 felony arrests for possession with intent to deliver or the manufacturing of a controlled substance,” he added.

Last year, the sheriff’s office seized more than 300 marijuana plants with an approximate street value of $300,000, including 33 pounds of processed and unprocessed marijuana that had an estimated value of $57,500, eight ounces of methamphetamine valued at $7,200, more than one ounce of crack and more than three grams of heroin that had a total estimated value of $1,050.

The 2007 busts also netted more than $7,000 in currency, Mauck said.