(RELATED: $1.7 Million Worth Of Washed Up Cocaine, 62 Pounds Of Marijuana Found In Florida Keys). "And it kind of turned our criminal investigation into now more of a humanitarian mission. However, our investigators chose to handle this unusual situation more as a humanitarian effort, to ensure their safety and well-being. Most of these larger seizures, like what youre seeing here will be months to year-long investigations, said Cpt. About 500,000 pounds of illegal, processed marijuana with a street value of at least $500 million was seized in a combined investigation in White City, Oregon, November 18, 2021 (OSP) Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. Oregon State Troopers seized roughly 500,000 pounds of processed marijuana this week during an illegal drug bust in Southern Oregon's Jackson County. Police called the living conditions subpar and noted they lacked running water. . All rights reserved (About Us). Share This Story COMMENT . Most of the laborers found working on the site are Mexican nationals who were illegally trafficked into the country and forced to work at the site, the sergeant said. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Contact him atlkrauss@registerguard.com, and follow him on Twitter@LouisKraussNews. 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. For example, residents in Alfalfa and nearby areas have been struggling with consistent groundwater sources. 0:05. It is certainly an issue we deal with on a daily basis here.. She also hosted and produced the university's political news show, where she interviewed Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak and Congresswoman Dina Titus (NV-1). (Photo by Philip Cheung for The Washington Post via Getty Images). The joint operation was led by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and yielded 384 pounds of meth, stolen . But law enforcement . The seizure comes at a time when legalized marijuana is flourishing. Lt. Ken Mannix with CODE said one arrest was made back on Feb. 5 when 63-year-old Troutdale resident Brad Wakefield was contacted on a traffic stop near the intersection of NW Madras Hwy @ NW Ryegrass Rd. Some workers that did not have personal transportation were assisted by those that did. Packaged marijuana found during a raid on warehouses in White City, Oregon, on Nov. 18, 2021. Learn more about: Privacy Policy, NBC5 News reporter Katie Streit comes from her hometown, Las Vegas. Cannabis is one industry that's actually coming out of Covid even stronger. Contests & Promotions, City of Bend postpones planned March 16 clearing of Hunnell Road camps; county says not needed for road project, ABCs and EVs: Bend-La Pine Schools rolls out Oregons first electric school bus east of the Cascades. The alleged leader Martin Manzo-Negrete, 47, of Eugene, and four of his associates were arrested during acoordinated operation Sept 15 led by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration with help from local agencies. Louis Krauss covers breaking news for The Register-Guard. Feds announce biggest meth bust in Oregon's history By AP . 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). Learn more about Carly here. Share. Our editorial content is not influenced by any commissions we receive. Overloaded electrical wiring has caused fires in other grow facilities, Vander Kamp said. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. The Oregon State Police Southwest Region (OSP) Drug Enforcement Section teamannounced in anews releaseSaturday that a search warrant at five industrial-sized warehouses in White City, OR turned up 250 tons of illegal marijuana with an estimated street value of $500 million. 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. September 2011: $1.5 to $2 million. Mail Tribune to cease operations Friday - 1/13/2023. 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. "Our efforts will be spent seeking out and charging the 'management' and command persons of this operation in Oregon, the United States and Mexico. Four other people were also arrested on federal drug charges. WHITE CITY, Ore. - The largest marijuana bust in Oregon history right here in Jackson County. OSP said investigators found that several of the individuals at the warehouses who were initially detained, identified, interviewed and released were migrant workers living on site. 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. Police executed a search warrant Thursday at a location that included five warehouses full of marijuana, according to an Oregon State Police Facebook post. Four other people were also arrested on federal drug charges. PORTLAND, Ore. Authorities in Oregon said "an epic amount" of illegal, processed marijuana was confiscated on Thursday, with more than 500,000 pounds seized. The team seized 9,227 plants and 2,800 pounds of processed marijuana in what is considered the largest drug bust in county history. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here. 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 they estimated had a street value of $500 million, police said. Over 100 people were also detained during the investigation. Vander Kamp said detectives expect more arrests, after more follow-up investigations. 2023 Cable News Network. 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 alleged associates include Eugene residents Gustavo Manzo-Mares, 45;Candice Barrett, 52;John Willis, 59;and Nathan Daniels, 46. >> Read more trending news 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. NBC5 News first reported about the drug bust over the weekend now were getting more information on this massive bust. Wednesday, March 17th 2021 Four Oregon men were arrested after investigators said they were found with methamphetamine inside their vehicles. Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. 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. Manzo-Negrete, aka Javier Cardenas-Manzo, according to the DOJ, was charged with a federal criminal complaint for possessing meth with intent to distribute. 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.. Updated: 5:15 PM PDT November 1, 2021 PORTLAND, Ore. Multnomah County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) deputies uncovered thousands of illegal pills and drugs, as well as several firearms, during an. Carly Keenan is a multimedia journalist and producer for NewsChannel 21. We are still processing evidence from this week and expect more arrests will soon follow," Vander Kamp concluded. 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. By Tori B. Powell July 9, 2021 / 10:14 AM / CBS News Authorities in Southern California have seized more than 16 tons of marijuana worth an estimated $1.19 billion, Los Angeles County Sheriff's. The grows also have a very high electrical demand due to the lights, fans and other equipment. During the operation, which spanned over two days, an epic amount of illegal, processed marijuana and a firearm were seized, the Facebook post reads. 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. 2021 10:40 AM A A. . And very few people are getting into treatment . He was arrested that day and lodged at the Crook County Adult Jail. Manzo-Negrete appeared in federal court Sept. 16, where he was ordered to be detained pending court proceedings. Example video title will go here for this video. RELATED: Feds announce biggest meth bust in Oregon's history. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. The search warrant led to seizure of 9,227 marijuana plants in various stages of growth in 49 greenhouses, he said. "Our investigators found that while some of the migrants were working against their will or under duress, the marijuana cultivation, processing and trimming business can also be lucrative for 'contract' migrant workers. A bust the agency called epic due to the scale of the operation thats now making national headlines. Did you encounter any technical issues? Police executed a search warrant Thursday at a location that included five warehouses full of marijuana, according to an Oregon State Police Facebook post. Oregon's drug decriminalization effort a 'tragedy' . The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. The meth was transported in large quantities by car from Southern California to Oregon where it was stored and distributed, the DOJ said. County officials. This information will be provided to the assigned prosecutors, and they will make the charging decisions.". All Rights Reserved. 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. September 2, 2021 Illegal Marijuana Enforcement Team detectives, which is comprised of multiple agencies including personnel from Jackson County Sheriff's Office, Medford Police Department, and a number of other agencies, served multiple search warrants on two black-market marijuana grow sites in as many days. They were found living in primitive wooden structures and dome tents, with limited clean-water sources and dumping wastewater directly into the soil. MCSO did not identify the suspect, and said he was subject to further investigation. Vander Kamp said about 20 people were detained and later released by detectives at the scene. So our goal is to kind of identify the 'head of the snake' and work our way to find out where that person is.". Officers executed federal search warrants at multiple locations in Lane County, and along with meth seized 14 firearms, some of which were stolen, according to the DOJ;and more than $76,000 in cash. in Crook County. "I don't think we were expecting to walk into a facility of that large of an operation, and there were a lot of people there," he told NewsChannel 21. WHITE CITY, Ore. The largest marijuana bust in Oregon history right here in Jackson County. Learn more about Barney here. Efforts to reach an attorney for him werent immediately successful. Jackson County Sheriff Nathan Sickler told lawmakers earlier in the week that the crime rate associated with marijuana farms has grown dramatically, ABC News reported. 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.. Complex Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Several suspects, both foreign and domestic, have been identified. Entertainment The bust included more than 10,000 pills including Xanax and Valium as well as recreational drugs. PORTLAND, Ore. Multnomah County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) deputies uncovered thousands of illegal pills and drugs, as well as several firearms, during an investigation into a 41-year-old Portland man last week. Most of the drugs were in packaging bearing the suspect's moniker, MCSO said. One person was arrested at the scene and released with a citation to appear in court. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Nov. 22, 2021 State police made the largest large-scale marijuana bust in southern Oregon while serving a warrant at an illegal White City processing facility consisting of five. The case agent has collected all of their information and individual roles at the scene. 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. Some laborers fled onto neighboring property, he said, but offered no resistance when contacted by detectives. BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) - A six-month drug investigation has led to the arrest of a San Bernardino, California man and a raid on a northeast Bend home where he was staying that found more than two. A fifth associate, Frank Buehler, 52, remains at large, according to the release. Katie is excited to tell the stories of local Southern Oregonians and Northern Californians. The investigation originated in Gresham, MCSO said, and was led by a Gresham Police Department detective who had been assigned to the MCSO Special Investigations Unit. They found more than 6,000 Xanax tablets, nearly 2,000 Valium tablets, 1,000 doses of LSD, three pounds of psilocybin mushrooms, two pounds of marijuana, more than 100 grams of heroin, 80 grams of methamphetamine, 150 suspected fentanyl pills and "various other illicit drugs," as well as four illegal firearms. https://t.co/Ccyvr4hGnt, The Associated Press (@AP) November 20, 2021. 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. We believe some of the workers we encountered are 'contractors' that travel around during the marijuana cultivation season, making a handsome income. Under Oregon state law, adults 21 and over may use cannabis within specified limits, but it is illegal to manufacture marijuana without a license. Federal agents say they seized 384 pounds of methamphetamine the largest seizure in Oregon history during a September drug trafficking investigation in Lane County. 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. DEA and Eugene police began investigating the group in October 2020 for its role in trafficking meth from California to Oregon for resale inLane County, the release states. Four other people were also arrested on federal drug charges. 2 min read Methamphetamine, heroin, pills, cash and guns seized by Salem police. We believe some of the links on our site, we may receive compensation after. 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