The nail salon leases space on the second level of the Meijer store on Carpenter Road for its operations. Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

Police seized more than 70 marijuana plants early Tuesday morning from a nail salon inside the Meijer store on Carpenter Road in Pittsfield Township.

The Meijer store on Carpenter Road in Pittsfield Township. Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

said a Meijer employee called them at 12:41 a.m. after finding the suspected marijuana growing operation while investigating a water leak in the US Nails Salon, which rents space from Meijer on the upper level of the store at 3825 Carpenter Road.

“When (store employees) were entering the area of the water leak, they saw what appeared to be a hydroponic water filter sitting outside of a closet,” said Deputy Chief Gordy Schick. Then artificial lighting also was spotted nearby, he added.

Police obtained a search warrant and seized growing equipment from the salon as well as the plants. Later in the morning, police also detained and questioned two employees before releasing them, Schick said. Police also seized some cash, he said

The search warrant was executed with the assistance of the Michigan State Police, LAWNET unit, Pittsfield Township police said in a press release. The investigation has been turned over to LAWNET.

Meijer officials are cooperating with Pittsfield Township police, Schick said.

A manager at the store who would not give his name said the store manager assigned to the midnight shift told him about the marijuana discovery when he arrived for work Tuesday morning. He said he had no additional comment.

The nail salon was closed late this morning.

Pittsfield Township records show the registered agent for the store is Tai Anh Nguyen.

News of the seizure came as a shock to patrons and a nearby business owner on Tuesday. “That’s crazy,” said Ypsilanti resident and Eastern Michigan student Leon Neely II. Neely, a regular Meijer shopper, said he was in the store on Tuesday morning, but didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. He said he’s never suspected US Nails of anything nor heard of any operation going.

“You must have had to know somebody who knew somebody to know about that,” Nelly II said.

Kal Farah, owner of the IHOP adjacent to the Meijer store, said he hadn’t heard about the bust before a reporter asked about it.

Stephanie Johnson, 46, of Ann Arbor said she’s had her nails done at U.S. Nails before. She said the quality of the work was low, but she never suspected any illegal activity.

AnnArbor.com reporter Pete Cunningham contributed to this story.