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. "Our efforts will be spent seeking out and charging the 'management' and command persons of this operation in Oregon, the United States and Mexico. 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. 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. Police in Oregon say they have seized 250 tons of illegal marijuana worth an estimated $500 million from several industrial warehouses in White City, a small community near the California border. 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. Information was developed that there was potentially an illegal marijuana grow at a 150-acre property on Harpold Road. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. Packaged marijuana found during a raid on warehouses in White City, Oregon, on Nov. 18, 2021. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. The grows also have a very high electrical demand due to the lights, fans and other equipment. Police executed a search warrant Thursday at a location that included five warehouses full of marijuana, according to an Oregon State Police Facebook post. For example, residents in Alfalfa and nearby areas have been struggling with consistent groundwater sources. If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here. Police called the living conditions subpar and noted they lacked running water. Entertainment The Deschutes County Illegal Marijuana Enforcement program is a partnership between the sheriffs office, Bend police and the district attorneys office. The operation was the largest in U.S. history. Manzo-Negrete was charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. 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). The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. 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. Several suspects, both foreign and domestic, have been identified. COOS BAY, Ore. - A fatal overdose led to a large drug bust on the Coast this week. "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. 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. During the search of his 2013 white Ford pickup, detectives located 1/2 pound of meth, as well as evidence of the sales and manufacturing in the vehicle. While in Las Vegas, Katie won a Student Emmy for her coverage of the Las Vegas Shooting Anniversary. Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Most of the drugs were in packaging bearing the suspect's moniker, MCSO said. (RELATED: $1.7 Million Worth Of Washed Up Cocaine, 62 Pounds Of Marijuana Found In Florida Keys). While possession of small amounts of marijuana is legal for recreational use in Oregon, such large, unlicensed operations remain illegal. A fifth associate, Frank Buehler, 52, remains at large, according to the release. 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. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. County officials. 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. All rights reserved (About Us). 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. A Warner Bros. 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. https://t.co/Ccyvr4hGnt, The Associated Press (@AP) November 20, 2021. All Rights Reserved. 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) Some of the drugs were hidden inside soda cans. (Update: More details on migrant workers' status), Detectives say most laborers were Mexican nationals illegally trafficked into US, forced to work. This grow site used groundwater and maintained a complex watering system that supplied several on-site 15,000 to 20,000-gallon cisterns, he said. Daily Weather Forecast 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. EUGENE 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. During the operation, which spanned over two days, an epic amount of illegal, processed marijuana and a firearm were seized, the Facebook post reads. Attorneys office in Oregon. 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. However, our investigators chose to handle this unusual situation more as a humanitarian effort, to ensure their safety and well-being. Mail Tribune to cease operations Friday - 1/13/2023. NBC5 News first reported about the drug bust over the weekend now we're getting more information on this massive bust. Drug overdose deaths hit an all-time high in 2021 with 1069, a 41% increase from 2020. The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office does not enforce federal immigration laws. 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. 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. Kale Williams | The Oregonian/OregonLive Sheriff's deputies seized a massive amount of drugs, more than a dozen guns and tens of thousands in cash after they raided a large-scale production. As you can imagine, many feared retaliation or punishment from the grow owners after the raid and chose to leave the area. Efforts to reach an attorney for him werent immediately successful. Manzo-Negrete was charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. OSP will be releasing more information when available.. 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. September 2011: $1.5 to $2 million. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 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. Two pistols and an AR-15 rifle were also seized. Manzo-Negrete has been detained pending future court proceedings. KTVZ-TV FCC Public File | FCC Applications |, Breaking News appreciated. Bags of seized methamphetamine.U.S. 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. Learn more about: Privacy Policy, NBC5 News reporter Katie Streit comes from her hometown, Las Vegas. Louis Krauss covers breaking news for The Register-Guard. This investigation and subsequent seizure of dried, processed Marijuana is one of the largest in Oregon State Police history and highlights the enormity of the critical issue in Southern Oregon, an Oregon State Police spokesperson told the Daily Caller in a statement. Overloaded electrical wiring has caused fires in other grow facilities, Vander Kamp said. 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. Several of them traveled from the East Coast and others from California. Wednesday, March 17th 2021 Four Oregon men were arrested after investigators said they were found with methamphetamine inside their vehicles. Police said over 100 people who lived in sub-par conditions with no running water were detained, identified, interviewed, and then released OSP worked alongside multiple agencies in this operation, including Jackson, Josephine, and Klamath County Sheriffs Drug Teams. BUELLTON, SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 2: Workers harvest cannabis plants at the Raw Garden cannabis farm in Buellton, California on October 2, 2018. KTVZ NewsChannel 21 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation. OSP said this is an ongoing investigation more information will be coming out later. Over 100 people were also detained during the investigation. NBC5 News first reported about the drug bust over the weekend now were getting more information on this massive bust. 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. Photo courtesy Salem (Photo by Philip Cheung for The Washington Post via Getty Images). Police estimate the street value of the haul to be around $500 million. "We have received several inquires asking why the migrants were not being arrested. Severe Weather The alleged associates include Eugene residents Gustavo Manzo-Mares, 45;Candice Barrett, 52;John Willis, 59;and Nathan Daniels, 46. Since the enforcement team was created, investigators have found illegal marijuana grows diverted or stole significant water from nearby homes and farms, or directly from pumps connected to underground water sources, Vander Kamp said. This information will be provided to the assigned prosecutors, and they will make the charging decisions.". Most of these larger seizures, like what youre seeing here will be months to year-long investigations, said Cpt. 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. Manzo-Negrete was charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. 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, according to ABC News. 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. 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. 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. 2. Manzo-Negrete has been detained pending future court proceedings. Katie is excited to tell the stories of local Southern Oregonians and Northern Californians. I cannot share details of the 'duress'; the unpaid workers had been paying off personal or family debts owed to the cartel organization. Due to these operations being unregulated, they pose dangers to the public and environment, Vander Kamp said in Friday's news release. 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. All Rights Reserved. Our website uses cookies to improve your experience. 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. 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. Approximately 500,000 pounds of marijuana were found over the two-day investigation. He was arrested that day and lodged at the Crook County Adult Jail. Vander Kamp said detectives expect more arrests, after more follow-up investigations. Federal and local police say they arrested the leader of a drug trafficking cell, 47-year-old Martin Manzo . 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.. 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. The joint operation was led by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and yielded 384 pounds of meth, stolen . Stephanie Begman. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here. Subscriber offer:Support local journalism that makes a difference in the community. 0:05. 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. The case agent has collected all of their information and individual roles at the scene. 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