Marijuana haul reaching past 31,000 plants while lawmen continue efforts
Approximately 10,250 growing marijuana plants were yanked from U.S. Forest Service land northwest of Cave Junction by a law enforcement team effort focused on illegal weed being grown by a cartel.
The effort brings to more than 31,000 the total number of marijuana plants lawmen uprooted in Josephine and Jackson counties during the past few weeks.
The most recent operation involved plants pulled from the Chrome Ridge area on Friday, Aug. 24, said Josephine Marijuana Eradication Team (JOMET). The eight-member team participated in a Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) case with Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, and the forest service.
Jackson County provided some 25 deputies, said Det. Sgt. Ken Selig, of Josephine Interagency Narcotics Team. He added that Jackson County also aided DEA with logistical supplies including a helicopter, and a dump truck used to haul the marijuana plants to a dump site for destruction.
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Several cartel grows in Josephine and Jackson counties have been investigated since early spring by DEA and the forest service, said Selig. Large grows were revealed, he said, by tips from many sources and flights over federal land.
He added that sites typically are manned by two to five Hispanic men. The majority of growers, in this country illegally, are recruited by families from Mexico to grow marijuana on Oregon’s federally managed land, Selig said.
During recent weeks, JOMET assisted DEA with eradication of slightly less than 10,000 pot plants near Carberry Creek in Jackson County, and approximately 9,000 plants off Coyote Creek in Josephine County.
Additionally, DEA and Jackson County authorities eradicated 2,000 plants off Abbot Creek near Prospect.
JOINT and Josephine County Sheriff’s Office, said Selig, urge caution for those visiting the forest. They should be extra vigilant, he said.
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“The growers of these large marijuana grow sites are armed, rarely speak English, have been instructed to use deadly force to defend the grow sites,” said Selig. “Many are located along popular trails and water resource areas.
“If you see suspicious activity or come upon a marijuana growing site, leave the area and notify law enforcement,” Selig said.
