Oregon Authorities Link Illicit Pot Farms to Mexican Cartels

Various connections suggest that many of the illicit farms in Oregon counties can be traced to Mexican cartels. Illegal cannabis farming operations are being founded by different gangs of American and foreign descent. Many of these farms have been left alone for a while for investigation purposes, till the law enforcers got this big break.

Illegal Cannabis Operations In Oregon

In the past year alone, at least two cannabis farms have been raided by security agencies in Oregon. The operations of these illicit operators have gotten bolder with each raid, especially in South Oregon. These illicit grow operations capitalize on the employment drought in these areas and the covered areas to maximize profits and escape being caught by law enforcement agencies.

Some weeks ago, the governing council of Jackson County declared an emergency over the increasing numbers of illicit cannabis cultivation operations taking place within its borders. According to the county's officials, the buildup of these illegal sites has stretched the local law agencies thin. The local resources in these areas have also been strained to their limits. The officials made this known to Governor Kate Brown through a letter. This letter was also sent to the state lawmakers for a quick response. It also contained a detailed request for more staff to reduce the workload of the current staff working to maintain local laws and code compliance efforts in the county. The Jackson Board of Commissioners also requested more funding to run the agencies.

The recent happenings in Jackson County are enough reasons for the Oregon state government to press down on these illegal operations. Rick Dyer, the commissioner for Jackson County, expressed his displeasure with the current situation during a press conference. He said that these unregulated marijuana farming operations in Oregon are responsible for other illegal activities like forced labor, human trafficking, and unsafe working conditions. Most of the workers operating on these sites are doing so under precarious conditions.

Oregon has legislation that permits cannabis commerce for licensed businesses. It makes no sense for illegal operators to intimidate and abuse workers just to maximize profits in a state that already permits licensed operations. The majority of these workers are often minors, unregistered immigrants, or parents of very young children.

Handling These Cartel Activities

The longer the illegal operations are allowed to continue, the worse the human rights situation will become. These operations are not limited to just Jackson County. Neighboring counties, Klamath and Josephine, have also declared states of emergency over these activities.

In Klamath County, a 27,000 square foot potato shed was found filled with an illegal cannabis harvest, of which some had undergone some levels of processing. This incident, which occurred less than a month ago, had to be the biggest illegal cannabis raid in the county. The Sheriff, Chris Klaber, expressed his shock when he told local reporters that this was his first time witnessing this amount of contraband in Klamath in his 30 years of being active as an officer in the country.

Klaber referred to the entire operation as an organized criminal activity that needs to be clipped in the bud. After more investigations were carried out, the potato shed was connected with two other illicit cannabis sites within the county. The law enforcement agencies have had to reorient themselves in light of the current security issues plaguing the country. They now know where they stand in this fight. According to Klaber, though it is hard to comprehend, they are very much behind.

The region's stance sends a unified message to the executive and legislative governments of the state. The state's officials will find it hard to ignore a call for help sent by three separate counties.

This way, the government will also be able to "kill three birds with one stone" and develop an efficient solution to rid the region of these illegal growing operations. It's a regional problem, so a regional solution will clear it off.

Local Resources: Bearing The Brunt

The illegal operations going on in the southern region of Oregon are more or less crippling the local resources. The Oregon State Police Basin Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team looks to be on top of recent investigations. Sergeant Cliff Barden made the announcement that the cultivation operations have ties with national and international drug cartels.

Barden also disclosed that the agency believed the cartels were intentionally trying to overwhelm the system with so much illicit produce. The strategy of these illegal organizations to produce this much illegal cannabis is most likely an avenue to distract the local law enforcement agencies from other crimes.

The agencies are already unable to keep up with the increased volume of illegal activities within the country.

Ever since the illicit operations got uncontrollable, smaller independent, non-licensed operators have set up shop in a bid to profit off the ensuing chaos. The bigger cultivation sites receive orders from drug lords within and outside the country and Mexico.

The region's proximity to the Emerald Triangle in California also feeds the illegal activities. California is another hot spot for illegal cannabis operations. Binet traced many of the plants in the region to illegal operations in California. These mid-level operations in California act as a go-between for Oregon illegal cannabis sites and the main drug cartel operators in Mexico. Most of these operations, in various stages, can be traced to common drug cartels outside the country.

Last words

Aside from the illegal cultivation operations carried out by cartel-organized farms in the region, law enforcement agencies have also discovered that at least 70 percent of licensed hemp farms are illegally growing pot. Barden said that for every registered hemp harvest, there are at least three times that the number of unregistered hemp and cannabis harvests.

The state of emergency and increased personnel, as well as funding, will help slow down these unlicensed activities until they are completely shut down.

"The main objective, for now, is to show that Oregon's southern region will not be a haven for illegal cannabis cultivation and processing operations," said Sergeant Barden. Gradually, these organized crime operations will have a very hard time making a profit in these areas.