14 arrested during drug raid on Centralia’s notorious ‘circus house’

A joint law enforcement effort arrested 14 of 18 individuals living inside the “circus house” in Centralia, known to be a residence with high volumes of illegal activity over the last decade, the Centralia Police Department (CPD) announced.

The residence located at E. Chestnut Street has been labeled by CPD as a “hot spot for criminal activity,” including felony assaults, numerous drug overdoses, and four pedestrian fatalities via trains.

CPD officers were dispatched to the residence for an unrelated issue last week and discovered multiple marijuana plants growing on the property. The Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team (JNET) was alerted to the findings and obtained a search warrant for the property.

Search warrant served at Centralia’s ‘circus house’

Early Tuesday morning, a joint effort among detectives within JNET, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Thurston County Narcotic Task Force (TNT), and CPD served a search warrant at the “circus house.”

During the search, officers located approximately 10 large potted marijuana plants, 15 hanging/drying marijuana plants, three pounds of processed marijuana, marijuana growing equipment, packaging, scales, user amounts of methamphetamine and fentanyl, and large amounts of drug paraphernalia.

Eighteen people were located on the “circus house” property while the search warrant was being served. Of the 18 people, 14 were arrested and booked into the Chehalis Tribal Jail on drug possession charges. CPD noted that additional charges are pending for several other individuals at the address.

“The Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team is committed to identifying and arresting those who choose to sell and distribute poisonous drugs in our communities,” CPD wrote.

The investigation is ongoing, and no other information will be released by CPD at this time.

Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact CPD at (360) 330-7680 or Lewis County Communications at (360) 740-1105.

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