Central Oregon drug agents warned Tuesday that visitors to public lands or other open space, especially in secluded areas, could stumble upon outdoor marijuana grows - and need to be cautious to avoid dangerous situations.
Last August, a multi-agency team seized and destroyed more than 14,500 pot plants with an estimated street value of about $50 million in a raid on private land in the Ochocos north of Prineville, one of several large grows found around the state and region last summer.
Here's the public information statement issued Tuesday by the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team:
Over the past three years, Central Oregon has seen an increase in the number of outdoor marijuana grows on public lands and on neighboring private lands.
This is becoming an increased concern for the safety of citizens who are recreating in those areas due to the possibility of a confrontation between the public and members of the drug organizations that are tending to the marijuana gardens.
Each of the grow operations the CODE Team has investigated over the past three years has had some evidence the people working these grows are armed with firearms.
These gardens represent a large financial asset to the drug organizations and they will take extreme measures to protect those assets.
The CODE Team believes that the drug trafficking Organizations involved in the illegal growing of outdoor marijuana will start their plantations early this spring.
Due to the mild winter and recent nice weather, the CODE Team believes that these organizations are setting up their camps and taking supplies into their growing areas now.
If you plan to be out on the public lands this spring and summer, CODE would like to make you aware of certain things to be aware of.
Large amounts of black plastic irrigation pipe, several bags of fertilizers, lots of propane tanks, and anything else that looks out of place in the outdoors may be good indicators.
If you see any suspicious activity while out in the woods and can get a license plate or GPS coordinates, please pass that information along to the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team at 541-312-6414, during business hours, or call your local law enforcement and ask for a CODE supervisor to call you back.
As always, your safety is of the utmost importance. Do not place yourself in a dangerous situation in an attempt to gather information for law enforcement. Get as much info as possible without jeopardizing your safety and leave the area immediately.
The Central Oregon Drug Enforcement (CODE) Team is a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force supported by the following Central Oregon law enforcement agencies: Bend Police Department, Deschutes County Sheriff's Office, Redmond Police Department, Prineville Police Department, Crook County Sheriff's Office, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Madras Police Department, Oregon State Police, United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson County District Attorney, and the Oregon National Guard.
News Hawk:warbux 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: KTVZ.Com
Author: KTVZ News Sources
Contact: Early growing season seen - for marijuana, too - KTVZ.com Central Oregons News, Weather and Sports Leader -
Copyright: 2010 KTVZ.com
Website: Early growing season seen - for marijuana, too - KTVZ.com Central Oregons News, Weather and Sports Leader -
Last August, a multi-agency team seized and destroyed more than 14,500 pot plants with an estimated street value of about $50 million in a raid on private land in the Ochocos north of Prineville, one of several large grows found around the state and region last summer.
Here's the public information statement issued Tuesday by the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team:
Over the past three years, Central Oregon has seen an increase in the number of outdoor marijuana grows on public lands and on neighboring private lands.
This is becoming an increased concern for the safety of citizens who are recreating in those areas due to the possibility of a confrontation between the public and members of the drug organizations that are tending to the marijuana gardens.
Each of the grow operations the CODE Team has investigated over the past three years has had some evidence the people working these grows are armed with firearms.
These gardens represent a large financial asset to the drug organizations and they will take extreme measures to protect those assets.
The CODE Team believes that the drug trafficking Organizations involved in the illegal growing of outdoor marijuana will start their plantations early this spring.
Due to the mild winter and recent nice weather, the CODE Team believes that these organizations are setting up their camps and taking supplies into their growing areas now.
If you plan to be out on the public lands this spring and summer, CODE would like to make you aware of certain things to be aware of.
Large amounts of black plastic irrigation pipe, several bags of fertilizers, lots of propane tanks, and anything else that looks out of place in the outdoors may be good indicators.
If you see any suspicious activity while out in the woods and can get a license plate or GPS coordinates, please pass that information along to the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team at 541-312-6414, during business hours, or call your local law enforcement and ask for a CODE supervisor to call you back.
As always, your safety is of the utmost importance. Do not place yourself in a dangerous situation in an attempt to gather information for law enforcement. Get as much info as possible without jeopardizing your safety and leave the area immediately.
The Central Oregon Drug Enforcement (CODE) Team is a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force supported by the following Central Oregon law enforcement agencies: Bend Police Department, Deschutes County Sheriff's Office, Redmond Police Department, Prineville Police Department, Crook County Sheriff's Office, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Madras Police Department, Oregon State Police, United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson County District Attorney, and the Oregon National Guard.
News Hawk:warbux 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: KTVZ.Com
Author: KTVZ News Sources
Contact: Early growing season seen - for marijuana, too - KTVZ.com Central Oregons News, Weather and Sports Leader -
Copyright: 2010 KTVZ.com
Website: Early growing season seen - for marijuana, too - KTVZ.com Central Oregons News, Weather and Sports Leader -
