The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office in southwest Oregon has released video of their work to clean up three properties after busting what they say is a huge illegal marijuana grow operation. It includes a bulldozer mowing down the illegal plants.
The sheriff’s office said the search warrant was issued at three neighboring properties in Rogue River on Oct. 6 that they say were growing and processing black-market cannabis.
All three properties are owned by different people, the sheriff’s office said. The property owners face more than $1.2 million in fines.
“The three marijuana grow and processing facilities located on the 18400 block of East Evans Creek Road in rural Rogue River contained 113 greenhouses with approximately 8,675 black-market marijuana plants, 7,155 lbs. of processed illegal cannabis, and $46,000 cash,” the sheriff’s office said on Facebook. “This case was the result of a months-long investigation of a black-market marijuana growing and processing operation. Detectives identified the primary suspects and investigations are ongoing.”
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There were allegedly 113 unpermitted greenhouse structures, electrical and mechanical installations and unpermitted accessory structures.
Seventeen workers and one child were detained, interviewed and released, the sheriff’s office said.
Homeland Security Investigations also identified and interviewed the potential victims of forced labor trafficking, according to the sheriff’s office.
Central Oregon Daily News did an in-depth story over the summer about illegal pot grows here on the High Desert and that trafficked labor is behind many of those operations.
