SORRENTO, B.C. - Mounties have routed out thousands of marijuana plants secretly growing in an underground bunker in the B.C. Interior.

Officers turned up about 7,000 plants in various growth stages inside the concealed space constructed beneath a hay shed near Sorrento, B.C., north east of Kamloops.

They executed a search warrant on the rural property on Wednesday on suspicions of a sophisticated commercial grow operation.

Staff Sgt. Kevin Keane says the discovery holds telltale signs of organized crime and it's believed to be part of a larger network the Salmon Arm RCMP have been investigating.

He says the home on the property appears to have been designed to facilitate a marijuana grow-op.

A 52-year-old man arrested at the scene is facing charges of production of a controlled substance.

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