DCSO raid on property south of Redmond turns up over $100K worth of processed marijuana; resident arrested
(Update: DCSO clarifies marijuana was found in separate shop, not in home)
REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Deschutes County sheriff’s detectives with its illegal marijuana enforcement team raided a residential property south of Redmond Tuesday, finding over 150 pounds of processed marijuana worth $100,000, cash and guns, and arrested the 39-year-old resident after a traffic stop.
Christopher George Putnam was contacted around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday during a traffic stop, where he was read and provided a copy of a search warrant for his property in the 7000 block of Southwest 77th Street, Sergeant Jason Wall said.
Detectives with the DCSO’s Illegal Marijuana Market Team then executed the search warrant, finding and seizing from a shop separate from the home an AR-15, two handguns, 152 pounds of processed marijuana with an estimated street value of $100,000 and nearly $10,000 in cash.
The seized marijuana had been pre-packaged and was destined for the black market, according to investigators.
Putnam was formally charged and arraigned Wednesday on one felony count of illegal marijuana possession, alleging more than 128 ounces.
Prosecutors alleged labeled it a commercial marijuana offense under state statute due to several factors, including the large sum of cash and that the structure was modified to facilitate marijuana operations, as well as possession of manufacturing items designed to produce marijuana such as lighting, ventilation, power equipment or other paraphernalia.
The illegal marijuana enforcement team continues to conduct investigations around the county.
"We are asking the community that if they see anything or smell anything that they find suspicious of marijuana growing operations, to report them to the DCIMME team," Wall said in a news release.
The reports can be made through non-emergency dispatch 541-693-6911 and through CannaFacts — Facts about Legal and Illegal Cannabis in Our Community (canna-facts.com).
