Accused growers waive hearing

SANDPOINT - A Priest River couple arrested in connection with a subterranean marijuana-growing operation are waiving their preliminary hearings.

Carl Wayne Cliff and Marte Gale Cliff are scheduled to be arraigned on felony drug charges next month. The couple is charged with marijuana trafficking, and aiding and abetting trafficking, according to charging papers.

The couple opted on April 8 not to contest the charges at the magistrate court level and agreed to be bound over to stand trial in 1st District Court.

Carl Cliff, 61, and Marte Cliff, 60, were charged after local and federal drug agents raided their Blue Lake Road property on March 6. Agents discovered 45 live plants and nearly 7 pounds of harvested pot, court records allege.

The drugs were found in underground grow rooms beneath a storage building. The grow rooms were allegedly accessed by a makeshift elevator hidden by a drain grate.

The couple is free on bail while the case is pending.