Eagle Point, Ore. — “This is going on a lot more than people think,” Lieutenant Mike Budreau said.
A months-long drug investigation reached it’s final point Tuesday.
According to Lieutenant Mike Budreau with Medford Area Drug and Gang Enforcement (M.A.D.G.E.), the old Willamette Egg Farm off Highway 62 is tied to illegal marijuana sales along with the trafficking of methamphetamine.
“We’ve already seen a significant amount of marijuana as well as methamphetamine and firearms ,” M.A.D.G.E. Commander Budreau said.
At 10:30 Tuesday morning, the Jackson County Sheriff’s SWAT team, Medford SWAT team, M.A.D.G.E. and Medford Police detectives executed a search warrant on the eagle point property arresting four people.
“We are still conducting the search of this 80-acre parcel of property that consists of many outbuildings and a lot of marijuana grows,” Lieutenant Budreau said.
Investigators are waiting to release the identities of those arrested and could potentially find more involved.
Lieutenant Budreau says investigators are also searching a Medford home related to the bust.
“We took this investigation slowly. But we certainly believe that no matter what the laws are, you can’t sell out of state and you can’t possess methamphetamine,” Lieutenant Budreau said.
Lieutenant Budreau says he’s seen many groups in the valley abuse the medical and recreational marijuana laws often growing more than permitted.
“They produce more marijuana than they’re really able to consume or even allowed to have. And that’s where they jump into the black market sales,” Lieutenant Budreau said.
Since cannabis is legal in Oregon, Lieutenant Budreau says growers are able to make a lot of money on the black market in states where it’s not legal.
It’s when the money comes in that investigators are finally able to discover properties with illegal activity.
“These are complicated investigations… they’re difficult investigations. We think we’re only catching a very small portion of the illegal marijuana sales that go on in the valley,” Lieutenant Budreau said.
Lieutenant Budreau says more information will be released as the investigation unfolds.
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