CCSO: [PHOTO ATTACHED] CLACKAMAS COUNTY INTER-AGENCY TASK FORCE SEIZES 355 MARIJUANA PLANTS VALUED AT OVER $600,000; TIPS SOUGHT
Posted: August 19th, 2011 2:19 PM
Photo/sound file: http://www.flashalertnewswire.net/images/news/2011-08/624/46980/11-70308mj_08-17-11_012.jpg (Marijuana)
Photo/sound file: http://www.flashalertnewswire.net/images/news/2011-08/624/46980/11-70308mj_08-17-11_010.jpg (Marijuana - officer in foreground)
Photo/sound file: http://www.flashalertnewswire.net/images/news/2011-08/624/46980/11-70308mj_08-17-11_001.jpg (Marijuana - officer in background)
Please reference Clackamas County Sheriff's Office Case #11-70308
On Wednesday morning, Aug. 17, 2011, the Clackamas County Inter-agency Task Force (CCITF) seized 355 mature marijuana plants from a hidden outdoor garden near Hwy. 99E south of Oregon City.
Based on estimated marijuana values from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), these plants would have a street value between $600,000 and $1 million.
The plants were being grown approximately 200 yards off of Hwy. 99E, on ODOT and Union Pacific Railroad property.
Members of the CCITF had been investigating the outdoor grow operation for over a month. Following investigative leads, they entered the well-hidden operation in the early morning hours this Wednesday (Aug. 17).
The outdoor garden was surrounded by dense vegetation, including blackberries and poison oak. Investigators had to chop through brush to enter the marijuana field -- which was not visible from the highway and secluded by thick brush and steep terrain.
Task-force members found 355 mature marijuana plants, each between 5 and 6 feet tall. CCITF investigators determined that the suspects had previously cleared the vegetation for the garden and installed an elaborate drip-irrigation system. It is believed the irrigation system illegally tapped into an unknowing property owner's water supply, located uphill from the plants.
The marijuana had been planted earlier this year, and was reportedly regularly tended to by the suspects.
The plants and other evidence were seized and removed from the scene. Surrounding neighbors were helpful in the investigation, and are not considered suspects in the case.
No arrests have been made.
Investigators are seeking tips and information regarding this case. Anyone with information is urged to contact our Tip Line at 503-723-4949 or by using the online e-mail form at http://www.co.clackamas.or.us/sheriff/tip.htm
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MARIJUANA SEASON IN OREGON -- BE CAREFUL
It is marijuana season in Oregon. Please be aware, be careful, and report suspicious activity.
During the months of August and September, illegal outdoor marijuana crops are harvested. These illegal operations are often worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and sometimes millions of dollars in illicit drug sales.
There has been an increase in reports of illegal marijuana growers using violence to protect these valuable crops. Booby traps and armed guards have been reported in Oregon and California the past two years. In 2010, armed suspects fired upon police in an outdoor garden in Jackson County. In June of this year, officers were shot at as they approached a marijuana garden in Tulare County in northern California.
As citizens recreate in the great outdoors, please be aware and cautious. Hikers, campers, hunters and fishermen have been known to stumble across illegal outdoor marijuana grow operations. These marijuana fields range in size from a few plants covering several square yards to large operations with thousands of plants covering acres of land. These operations are typically remote and secluded. They may be near a water supply, and are sometimes occupied and guarded.
If you suspect you have entered or seen an outdoor marijuana grow operation, please leave the area immediately and report your observations to local police.
Record your location if possible, and do not confront anyone associated with the operation.
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ABOUT THE CCITF
The Clackamas County Inter-agency Task Force (CCITF) is the first coordinated group effort by local and federal law-enforcement officials to combat drug problems in Clackamas County -- through interdiction of sales, trafficking and related crimes. These problems are identified by Task Force member communities. Its focus is two-pronged -- on street crimes and long-term investigations.
CCITF member agencies participating in this investigation include the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office, Milwaukie Police Department, Gladstone Police Department, and Molalla Police Department.
For more information on the CCITF, visit http://CountyTaskForce.com
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TIPS SOUGHT
The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office is seeking tips and information regarding this crime and any information on illegal drug operations.
Anyone with information concerning this crime or others is encouraged to contact the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office's confidential Tip Line -- by telephone at 503-723-4949, or by using the online e-mail form at http://www.co.clackamas.or.us/sheriff/tip.htm
Please reference Clackamas County Sheriff's Office Case #11-70308.
The public can also submit crime-tip text messages to the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office from a cell phone. All users have to do is send a text message to CRIMES (274637 on your phone keypad) -- with the keyword CCSO as the first word in the message body.
Important reminder: Please do not send emergency messages using the text-messaging system -- in case of an emergency, call 911.
Please reference Clackamas County Sheriff's Office Case #11-70308.
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