OSP raids Christmas Valley illegal marijuana grow, destroys nearly 1,600 plants; Calif. man jailed

CHRISTMAS VALLEY, Ore. (KTVZ) – A recent Oregon State Police raid on an allegedly illegal marijuana growing operation in Christmas Valley turned up nearly 1,600 plants and led to the arrest of a Fresno, California man, troopers said Thursday.

OSP’s Drug Enforcement Section Southwest Region Marijuana Team executed the search warrant on August 30 in the 83000 block of Christmas Valley Highway, troopers said.

Genaro Farfan Flores, 32, of Fresno, was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail on a charge of illegal manufacture of marijuana, OSP said.

A total of 1,591 illegal marijuana plants and about 50 pounds of dried, processed marijuana was seized and ultimately destroyed, troopers said. Two firearms also were located and seized.

The law enforcement team also encountered piles of trash, chemicals, a two-story unpermitted structure, improvised well irrigation systems and hazardous electrical wiring on the property, troopers said.

The OSP DES SWRMJ team was assisted by the OSP Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team, the OSP Major Crimes Section, OSP Lakeview Patrol Office, OSP Klamath Falls Patrol Office, the Basin Illegal Narcotics Enforcement Team (BINET), the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Troopers said the investigation is ongoing.