Did weak economy play strong role in crimes? Clark county depressed economy vacant houses and glut of foreclosures likely played a key role leading up to Thursday's drug sting according to a commander of the drug task force authorities will investigate whether the owners of 56 single family houses raided were participants in the operation gang green marijuana growing business some homes may have been unwittingly rented to the pot growers by home owners-turned-landlords who decided to rent rather than sell them in Clark county's falling real estate market many houses were purchased in recent years at greatly reduced prices by investors at courthouse auctions some of those owners may have been involved in the crime ring,said mike Cooke commander of the Clark skamania drug task force .It could simply be a matter of a depressed real estate market making a lot of homes attractive to people who want to use them as green houses he said .But Cooke said The other thing to look at with organized crime is ,are these truly purchased being made on the open real estate market,or are they exchanges between people involved in the common scheme?He said investigators would check the history of sales transactions behind every property involved in the raid Most appeared to be rentals. No charges have been leveled against the property owners.About18 live outside of Clark county one as far away as Honolulu.

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