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Oregon state law enforcement agencies seized an estimated value of $20 million in bulk illegal marijuana and thousands of illegal plants in a suspected drug trafficking organization in Marion and Clackamas counties Sept. 11.
Oregon state law enforcement agencies seized an estimated value of $20 million in bulk illegal marijuana and thousands of illegal plants in a suspected drug trafficking organization in Marion and Clackamas counties Sept. 11.
Police seized an estimated $20 million worth of illegal marijuana and tens of thousands of plants during a crackdown on a suspected drug trafficking organization in Marion and Clackamas counties, Oregon State Police announced Sept. 11.
Investigators from Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office Interagency Task Force and the Oregon State Police Drug Enforcement Section spent three days shutting down the operation across six sites in both counties, OSP said.
Officers seized over 110,000 illegal marijuana plants and over 81,000 pounds of bulk marijuana. Officers also seized 86 firearms and $11,500, OSP said.
Officers found people living and working at the sites without adequate shelter, plumbing, running water or electricity. Investigators are still working to find out whether the workers were on site through coercion, fraud or force.
The agencies launched separate investigations after receiving complaints from the community. Detectives uncovered several additional illegal marijuana grows and determined both agencies were investigating the same suspects, OSP said.
A 35-year-old California woman was charged with unlawful manufacture of a marijuana item and unlawful possession of a marijuana item.
Service providers offered assistance to the 55 workers at the locations, including crisis intervention, basic necessities such as food and water, safety planning, emergency transportation to safety and connections to emergency shelter and housing, OSP said.
The providers and victim advocates included Safety Compass, the Anti-Trafficking Project and the Cannabis Workers Resilience Partnership.
Various county and state agencies investigated environmental crimes such as pesticide and fertilizer runoff, water use and unlawful solid waste disposal, OSP said.
Katie Livermore covers public safety and breaking news for the Statesman Journal. Livermore can be reached at Klivermore@statesmanjournal.com
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Police seize $20M worth of illegal marijuana in Oregon bust
Reporting by Katie Livermore, Salem Statesman Journal / Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Currently in Bend
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