The bust included more than 10,000 pills including Xanax and Valium as well as recreational drugs. 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 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. While their marijuana cultivations activities are unlawful, our investigation determined that (they) are not responsible for the overall operation of the grow site. 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. Updated 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. KTVZ-TV FCC Public File | FCC Applications |, Breaking News Due to these operations being unregulated, they pose dangers to the public and environment, Vander Kamp said in Friday's news release. A fifth associate, Frank Buehler, 52, remains at large, according to the release. Authorities in Los Angeles County, California, seized $1 billion worth of marijuana July 8. "Our efforts will be spent seeking out and charging the 'management' and command persons of this operation in Oregon, the United States and Mexico. 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. Manzo-Negrete was charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Louis Krauss covers breaking news for The Register-Guard. Federal and local police say they arrested the leader of a drug trafficking cell, 47-year-old Martin Manzo . "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. Example video title will go here for this video. We believe some of the workers we encountered are 'contractors' that travel around during the marijuana cultivation season, making a handsome income. WHITE CITY, Ore. The largest marijuana bust in Oregon history right here in Jackson County. Several suspects, both foreign and domestic, have been identified. This is a very involved investigation and will be ongoing for several weeks, OSP said in a news release. Several of them traveled from the East Coast and others from California. Jeffrey & Rebel Shetler, as well as Anderson, were arrested at this time and lodged at the Crook County Adult Jail. 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. Efforts to reach an attorney for him werent immediately successful. Manzo-Negrete, aka Javier Cardenas-Manzo, according to the DOJ, was charged with a federal criminal complaint for possessing meth with intent to distribute. Manzo-Negrete has been detained pending future court proceedings. OSP said this is an ongoing investigation more information will be coming out later. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. 4:32 PM EST, Sun November 21, 2021. Cannabis is one industry that's actually coming out of Covid even stronger. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. 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. "And it kind of turned our criminal investigation into now more of a humanitarian mission. COOS BAY, Ore. - A fatal overdose led to a large drug bust on the Coast this week. NBC5 News first reported about the drug bust over the weekend now we're getting more information on this massive bust. (Photo by Philip Cheung for The Washington Post via Getty Images). Manzo-Negrete was charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Subscriber offer:Support local journalism that makes a difference in the community. CNNs Alicia Wallace contributed to this report. 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. 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. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 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. All Rights Reserved. NBC5 News first reported about the drug bust over the weekend now were getting more information on this massive bust. The joint operation was led by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and yielded 384 pounds of meth, stolen . Katie is excited to tell the stories of local Southern Oregonians and Northern Californians. In addition to the massive amount of marijuana discovered atthe scene, Oregon State Police said its Drug Enforcement Section team foundmore than100 individuals, several of which were migrant workers living on-site in subpar living conditions without running water. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. 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. The news arrives just a few days afterJackson County Sheriff Nathan Sickler, while testifyingbefore a committee of the Oregon Legislature, announcedthat the rapidgrowth of illegal marijuana farmsin southern Oregon has caused the crime rate to go through the roof. U.S. Attorneys Office photo. We are still processing evidence from this week and expect more arrests will soon follow," Vander Kamp concluded. 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. Learn more about: Privacy Policy, NBC5 News reporter Katie Streit comes from her hometown, Las Vegas. The team seized 9,227 plants and 2,800 pounds of processed marijuana in what is considered the largest drug bust in county history. 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 . Oregon's drug decriminalization effort a 'tragedy' . All Rights Reserved. PORTLAND, Ore. Authorities in Oregon said "an epic amount" of illegal, processed marijuana was confiscated on Thursday, with more than 500,000 pounds seized. Police called the living conditions subpar and noted they lacked running water. Discovery Company. 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. 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 arrest of a West Salem man Tuesday led to the seizure of 28 pounds of. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Our website uses cookies to improve your experience. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here. The Deschutes County Illegal Marijuana Enforcement program is a partnership between the sheriffs office, Bend police and the district attorneys office. (Update: More details on migrant workers' status), Detectives say most laborers were Mexican nationals illegally trafficked into US, forced to work. 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. Packaged marijuana found during a raid on warehouses in White City, Oregon, on Nov. 18, 2021. It is certainly an issue we deal with on a daily basis here.. https://t.co/Ccyvr4hGnt, The Associated Press (@AP) November 20, 2021. Police estimate the street value of the haul to be around $500 million. 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. However, our investigators chose to handle this unusual situation more as a humanitarian effort, to ensure their safety and well-being. 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. Most of these larger seizures, like what youre seeing here will be months to year-long investigations, said Cpt. 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