October 8, 2021 4:10 a.m.
One man was jailed after the Douglas Interagency Narcotics Team seized over 66,000 live marijuana plants on Tuesday.
Lieutenant Rick McArthur of DINT said a search warrant was executed at a large-scale marijuana growing operation in the 9000 block of Days Creek Cutoff Road. McArthur said activity was being conducted on two parcels of historic farmland along the South Umpqua River, just a few miles east of Canyonville. Two residences were involved along with numerous outbuildings, barns and recreational vehicles.
McArthur said the operation consisted of more than 100 “hoop house” style greenhouses, most of which were full of illegal marijuana. Officers contacted and interviewed numerous individuals at the scene, most of whom were immigrant workers who were released. 31-year old Carlos Flores Santacruz, who lives at the site, was arrested and held in the Douglas County Jail on charges of unlawful possession and unlawful manufacture of marijuana. He was released on Wednesday.
Along with the live plants, McArthur said over 11,000 pounds of processed marijuana was also seized.
McArthur said two weeks ago in a related investigation, DINT seized over 56,000 live marijuana plants at a nearby location in the 4000 block of Tiller Trail Highway. The two locations are similar in nature and allegedly operated by the same individuals. The investigation is ongoing and further arrests are anticipated.
McArthur said the operation, like many others in southern Oregon, was designed to look like a legal hemp cultivation business. He said black market marijuana producers regularly hide behind the legal hemp market as camouflage for their illicit activity. While in Oregon, any location is allowed to grow 4 marijuana plants for personal use, properties like the two mentioned are illegally growing tens of thousands of marijuana plants at a time and selling them on the black market for tens of millions of dollars, according to McArthur.
McArthur said these illicit marijuana operations are largely operated and controlled by notorious foreign drug cartels. He said they are also causing significant environmental damage due to the volume of fertilizers and pesticides, the buildup of garbage, and even the volume of human feces. McArthur said these operations are often illegally utilizing water resources, which is particularly concerning during a time of drought like this year.
In 2021, DINT has eradicated approximately 300,000 marijuana plants and seized approximately 50,000 pounds of dried, processed marijuana from illegal grow sites.