Deputies find $1.3M worth of pot inside Hickory house

HICKORY, N.C. — Catawba County Sheriff's deputies said they found 550 marijuana plants while conducting an investigation at a home in Newton.

Deputies said they went to the 16th Street NE home on a tip and smelled the marijuana, which they said was in plain view.

Investigators obtained a search warrant and found the plants growing in the basement.

Investigators arrested Justin Alexander McAlister and charged him with three different offenses related to the bust.

The estimated street value of the pot found is $1,320,000.

McAlister was jailed, with bail set at $10,000.

WSOC