La Pine man charged after raid on illegal grow turns up over 500 plants, BHO lab
Citizen tips spark investigation; 14 firearms also seized
La PINE, Ore. (KTVZ) – A La Pine man faces several drug charges after a raid on his home Monday turned up an illegal marijuana grow, including more than 500 plants, a butane hash oil (BHO) lab, more than a dozen guns and nearly $8,000 in cash, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said.
Sheriff’s detectives, assisted by the agency’s SWAT team, served the search warrant in the 53000 block of Woodstock Drive, Sgt. Jayson Janes said.
Deschutes County illegal marijuana enforcement detectives began investigating the 27-year-old resident last April after complaints from citizens about possible marijuana manufacture there, Janes said.
Detectives were able to obtain a search warrant to look for illegal marijuana manufacturing, possession and delivery.
Inside a detached shop, detectives found an active marijuana grow, seizing 506 growing plants and about 55 pounds of dried marijuana, the sergeant said.
They also found a BHO lab, which Janes described as “a large open blasting system.” He said BHO extraction is a highly volatile, dangerous process that has resulted in explosions that have killed or injured people in Oregon.
Detectives seized about 40 pounds of BHO product, about two ounces of cocaine and evidence the BHO product was being placed into vape pen cartridges, Janes said.
During a search of the home, detectives also found and seized 14 guns, including an AR pistol stored in the couch, a short-barrel sawed-off shotgun in the master bedroom and a handgun on the master bedroom’s night stand, he said. Detectives also seized $7,920 in cash.
The man was issued a criminal citation for several drug charges, as well as illegal possession of a short-barreled shotgun.
"The Deschutes County Illegal Marijuana Enforcement Detectives (DCIMEDs) would like to thank the legal marijuana businesses within Deschutes County for their collaborative efforts in combating illegal marijuana operations," Janes wrote.
"The knowledge the DCIMED’s received from focus groups confirms that illegal marijuana within Deschutes County is a major concern for the legal marijuana market, residents, and businesses in our community. DCIMED’s take illegal grow operations seriously due to the unregulated amounts of pesticides, fungicides and chemical solvents that can be used to manufacture marijuana products.
"In addition, DCIMED’s have discovered illegal marijuana grows that contained mold, spider mites and toxic/harmful chemicals that are unsafe for human consumption.
"The DCIMED’s receive funding to support their positions from taxes that are collected from the recreational marijuana market. Marijuana tax can be used for schools, drug treatment centers, public health, and law enforcement. The Deschutes County Board of Commissions approved the funding for the Deschutes County Illegal Marijuana Enforcement Detective positions," the sergeant added.
