The search warrant led to seizure of 9,227 marijuana plants in various stages of growth in 49 greenhouses, he said. State police seized a large amount of illegal marijuana in a bust outside Medford, Oregon, hauling in around 500,000 pounds, with an estimated street value of $500 million, Oregon State police said. An investigation found that the grow site was run by and affiliated with a Mexican cartel seeking to grow and sell illegal marijuana throughout the country, Vander Kamp said. Oregon State Troopers seized roughly 500,000 pounds of processed marijuana this week during an illegal drug bust in Southern Oregon's Jackson County. Some laborers fled onto neighboring property, he said, but offered no resistance when contacted by detectives. A large police operation aimed at drug trafficking in Central Oregon recently took down several people suspected of supplying the region with heroin and methamphetamine. Also, illegal marijuana farms such as this often use pesticides and insecticides that threaten residential water supplies and endanger users. Stephanie Begman. Feel free to contact her at, 2022-23 NFL Sunday Night Football schedule, Oregon State Police investigating the largest bust in Oregon history, Weed HS girls basketball wins first section title, Brookings PD officer resigns after council votes to reinstate city manager, In the race to store renewable energy, a Northwest lab is inching closer. The joint operation was led by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and yielded 384 pounds of meth, stolen guns and more than $76,000 in cash. (RELATED: $1.7 Million Worth Of Washed Up Cocaine, 62 Pounds Of Marijuana Found In Florida Keys). While their marijuana cultivations activities are unlawful, our investigation determined that (they) are not responsible for the overall operation of the grow site. Detectives investigated further and discovered over 85 - 30 foot by 100-foot . A bust the agency called epic due to the scale of the operation thats now making national headlines. October 4, 2021. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Federal and local police say they arrested the leader of a drug trafficking cell, 47-year-old Martin Manzo-Negrete, on Sept. 15 in Eugene. But law enforcement . MCSO did not identify the suspect, and said he was subject to further investigation. Manzo-Negrete was charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. EUGENE, Ore. (AP) The U.S. Attorneys office in Oregon announced Monday that authorities had made the largest methamphetamine bust in the states history, seizing drugs with a street value of more than $1 million. Carly Keenan is a multimedia journalist and producer for NewsChannel 21. Authorities in Los Angeles County, California, seized $1 billion worth of marijuana July 8. MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - Members of the Dane Co. Narcotics Task Force seized hundreds of grams of methamphetamine and thousand of dollars in cash during a drug bust Monday at an Oregon home.. Contact him atlkrauss@registerguard.com, and follow him on Twitter@LouisKraussNews. She also hosted and produced the university's political news show, where she interviewed Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak and Congresswoman Dina Titus (NV-1). Severe Weather Police estimate the street value of the haul to be around $500 million. 4:32 PM EST, Sun November 21, 2021. The nearly $46 billion in sales would make the cannabis industry larger than the craft beer industry, said Chris Walsh, chief executive officer and president of MJBizDaily. Members of both the Crook County Sheriffs Office and the Prineville Police Department assisted CODE detectives throughout this investigation, which also included narcotics K-9 Jett from the Crook County Sheriffs Office. Police executed a search warrant Thursday at a location that included five warehouses full of marijuana, according to an Oregon State Police Facebook post. The seizure comes at a time when legalized marijuana is flourishing. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Police said on Tuesday, June 8, investigators with the Medford Area Drug and Gang Enforcement team gathered in the 2800 block of Spring Hills Drive to serve a search warrant at the home of 33-year-old Marquis Devon Akins. Under Oregon state law, adults 21 and over may use cannabis within specified limits, but it is illegal to manufacture marijuana without a license. So our goal is to kind of identify the 'head of the snake' and work our way to find out where that person is.". Did you encounter any technical issues? WHITE CITY, Ore. - The largest marijuana bust in Oregon history right here in Jackson County. In last weeks bust, police said that OSP, Drug Enforcement Administration and officers from local law enforcement agencies seized the large cache of marijuana and a gun over two days. MALIN, Ore. - On August 3, 2021, Oregon State Police Detectives served a search warrant at an illegal marijuana grow on Harpold Road, Malin, Oregon. The Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team had been looking into a mid-size organization that was trafficking commercial quantities of meth throughout the Crook County region. Oct 04, 2021 10:40 AM, SOU president gets feedback on realignment plan, Oregon will begin processing 2022 state income tax returns Jan. 23, Man sentenced in connection with beating death, Since You Asked: Panera Bread on track for early 2023 opening. He was arrested that day and lodged at the Crook County Adult Jail. Overloaded electrical wiring has caused fires in other grow facilities, Vander Kamp said. The arrest of a West Salem man Tuesday led to the seizure of 28 pounds of. The bust included more than 10,000 pills including Xanax and Valium as well as recreational drugs. Sales hit $20 billion in 2020, are on pace to top $26 billion this year, and are projected to leapfrog to $45.9 billion in 2025, according to data from Marijuana Business Daily that were shared at the MJBizCon, the industrys annual trade show. During the search, officers said they . KTVZ NewsChannel 21 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation. Efforts to reach an attorney for him werent immediately successful. A bust the agency called 'epic . Central Oregon Daily is a subsidiary of Telephone and Data Systems, Inc., recognized as a Fortune 1000 2017 company. The Oregon State Police Southwest Region (OSP) Drug Enforcement Section team served a search warrant Thursday at five industrial-sized warehouses in White City, Oregon, police said. In September 2011, Portland Police netted the largest drug bust in the bureau's history. If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here. Share. Updated: 8:08 PM PST November 20, 2021 JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. Oregon State Police seized roughly 500,000 pounds of processed marijuana during a single bust in Southern Oregon's Jackson. CNN At a time when legalized marijuana sales are rising nationally, state police in Oregon last week seized 500,000 pounds of illegal marijuana in a bust outside Medford, Oregon, that. Weve had stabbings, robberies, thefts, burglaries, homicides, sex crimes, motor vehicle accidents, DUIs, all related to the influx of the marijuana-cannabis industry in our in our valley, Sickler said. Our editorial content is not influenced by any commissions we receive. Oregon State Police found over 500,000 pounds of illegal marijuana in a warehouse in White City. On March 12, CODE said 65-year-old Jeffrey and 58-year-old Rebel Shetler of Prineville, as well as 59-year-old Mark Anderson of Prineville, were contacted on a traffic stop on ONeil Hwy near mile marker 8 in Crook County. COMPLEX participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means COMPLEX gets paid commissions on purchases made through our links to retailer sites. (Oregon State Police) The drug bust comes less than two weeks after Oregon Congressman. Feds announce biggest meth bust in Oregon's history By AP . Manzo-Negrete, aka Javier Cardenas-Manzo, according to the DOJ, was charged with a federal criminal complaint for possessing meth with intent to distribute. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Learn more about: Privacy Policy, NBC5 News reporter Katie Streit comes from her hometown, Las Vegas. Learn more about Barney here. The suspected leader of a drug-trafficking group in Eugene was arrested last month, resulting in 384 pounds of methamphetamine being seized the largestmeth bust in Oregon history, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release Monday. Oct. 2, 2019 2:24 p.m. U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon Billy Williams announced a 60-count indictment Wednesday against 41 defendants, who he said conspired to distribute methamphetamine . Manzo-Negrete was charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. MEDFORD, Ore. - A suspect is behind bars after a heroin bust in Medford. We believe some of the workers we encountered are 'contractors' that travel around during the marijuana cultivation season, making a handsome income. All Rights Reserved. Oregon legalized recreational marijuana in 2015. The meth was transported in large quantities by car from Southern California to Oregon where it was stored and distributed, the DOJ said. The Deschutes County Illegal Marijuana Enforcement program is a partnership between the sheriffs office, Bend police and the district attorneys office. This information will be provided to the assigned prosecutors, and they will make the charging decisions.". Daily News Updates Four Oregon men were arrested after investigators said they were found with methamphetamine inside their vehicles. Vander Kamp said law enforcement had been watching the property for two years, but that now was the time to conduct the raid due to its impacts on the community. These large grows have flooded the market - a pound of cannabis that was worth $3,000 in 2009 here might now fetch $400, all but killing the industry for small-time legal growers. Manzo-Negrete has been detained pending future court proceedings. KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. Oct. 9, 2021 10:26 a.m. KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. (AP) Deputies stumbled into a significant illegal marijuana operation in southern Oregon this week, finding an amount of. NBC5 News first reported about the drug bust over the weekend now we're getting more information on this massive bust. NBC5 News first reported about the drug bust over the weekend now were getting more information on this massive bust. U.S. Attorneys Office photo. While possession of small amounts of marijuana is legal for recreational use in Oregon, such large, unlicensed operations remain illegal. Vander Kamp said this grow site used jerry-rigged cooper wire, extension cords and power strips as permanent exterior wiring for processing equipment, lighting and fans. >> Read more trending news Four other people were also arrested on federal drug charges. Wednesday, March 17th 2021 Four Oregon men were arrested after investigators said they were found with methamphetamine inside their vehicles. According to a 2020 newsletter for the Oregon-Idaho chapter of the Drug Enforcement Administration's High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program of which MADGE is a member MADGE. Manzo-Negrete has been detained pending future court proceedings. After receiving information that a large amount of drugs would be . Federal and local police say they arrested the leader of a drug trafficking cell, 47-year-old Martin Manzo-Negrete, on Sept. 15 in Eugene. Updated Vander Kamp also provided this statement about the workers on Saturday: "We assisted the migrant workers to collect their property and load vehicles during the late afternoon after the search warrant. County officials. Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. Jeffrey & Rebel Shetler, as well as Anderson, were arrested at this time and lodged at the Crook County Adult Jail. (Update: More details on migrant workers' status), Detectives say most laborers were Mexican nationals illegally trafficked into US, forced to work. Some workers that did not have personal transportation were assisted by those that did. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Federal agents say they seized 384 pounds of methamphetamine the largest seizure in Oregon history during a September drug trafficking investigation in Lane County. Bags of seized methamphetamine.U.S. Oregon State Police officers seized $500 million in marijuana Thursday during a single drug bust in Jackson County, Oregon. Police last week seized roughly 500,000 pounds ofmarijuana during a single drugbust in southern Oregons Jackson County, CNN reports. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Oregon State Police officers seized $500 million in marijuana Thursday during a single drug bust in Jackson County, Oregon. DCIME detectives were aided in the investigation, eradication and dismantling of the site by the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement team, Bend and Redmond police, the Deschutes and Crook County sheriffs offices and the Alfalfa Fire Department, as well as the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. "Our efforts will be spent seeking out and charging the 'management' and command persons of this operation in Oregon, the United States and Mexico. As you can imagine, many feared retaliation or punishment from the grow owners after the raid and chose to leave the area. "And it kind of turned our criminal investigation into now more of a humanitarian mission. 2021 10:40 AM A A. . A federal indictment stated that between August 2019 and September 2021, Martinez-Gil and his associates worked to possess and distribute "large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl in the. The operation was the largest in U.S. history. The grows also have a very high electrical demand due to the lights, fans and other equipment. Updated: Sep 26, 2021 / 05:04 PM PDT Salem police said on Sept. 26, 2021 that officers found thousands of fraudulent oxycodone pills and methamphetamine during a drug bust. We are still processing evidence from this week and expect more arrests will soon follow," Vander Kamp concluded. On Sunday, Coos County Sheriff's deputies and medical personnel responded to a report of an overdose, and the patient was taken to Bay Area Hospital where they later died. Court documents revealed the organization, led by suspect Luis Antonio Beltran Arrendondo, 32, of Las Vegas, had been under investigation by Drug Enforcement Agents since fall 2021.. Central Oregon Daily 2023. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Over 100 people were also detained during the investigation. MCSO described the bust as one of the largest pill seizures by MCSO's Special Investigations Unit in recent history. The Daily Caller | 1775 Eye Street NW | Suite 1150-290 | Washington, DC 20006, (RELATED: $1.7 Million Worth Of Washed Up Cocaine, 62 Pounds Of Marijuana Found In Florida Keys). Vander Kamp said detectives expect more arrests, after more follow-up investigations. In her final months working in the Las Vegas area, she was recognized for her journalism achievements by the Nevada Broadcaster's Foundation. Deputies executed a search warrant at an apartment unit in the Wimbledon Court Apartments in Southeast Portland, as well as a storage unit, on Oct. 28, MCSO said in a press release on Monday. The case agent has collected all of their information and individual roles at the scene. . Subscriber offer:Support local journalism that makes a difference in the community. Katie went to the Hank Greenspun School of Journalism & Media Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. 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