Police call it one of the biggest marijuana growing operations in recent memory: nearly 200 plants found in two homes.

And they arrested these five men in connection with the bust: 23-year-old Markus Branson, 28-year-old Justin Garry, 28-year-old Jesten Kor, 25-year-old Andrew Reinsbach and 28-year-old Joshua Wofford. All face charges ranging from possessing to dealing drugs. 

They were polite, helpful neighbors who police say were growing more marijuana than anyone in town.

Lou Raguse: "Friendly guys?"
Tana Welp: "Yeah, very friendly. Always helping me out."

"I don't recall a time we've had one with this many plants total in it," says Police Information Officer Loren McManus.

"Who knows, you know? I didn't expect it at all," Welp says.

She didn't expect to see the police raid her neighbors' house. And she didn't expect to hear what they found. 

Raguse: They had 169 marijuana plants in there.
Welp: What? Oh my God! I did not know that.
Raguse: Didn't know it was that big?
Welp: I didn't know they did drugs or anything.

Police believe the men did plenty of drugs. In addition to the plants, they found more than 60 pipes, baggies filled with hallucinogenic mushrooms and marijuana, dozens of doses of LSD and ecstasy pills. And they believe the men were involved selling the drugs. In the bedroom of Markus Branson, police also found a scale and nearly $10,000 cash. 

"I knew there were a lot of people going in and out, but I just figured they have a lot of friends," Welp says.

A lot of "friends," and an electricity bill six times that of each of their neighbors. The lights used to grow marijuana cost a lot of money. And the charges they each face could put them in prison for years. 

"I knew they were hippies and all that other stuff, but wow!" Welp says.

The case started with an anonymous tip.

Other clues police found before entering the house were in the men's garbage. Police found a sheet of paper with names different types of marijuana written on it. 

In court, lawyers for several of the suspects said they weren't dealing the drugs. They were just for personal use.