Large pot grow eradicated in rural Yamhill County
The Yamhill County Interagency Narcotics Team (YCINT) discovered a large scale marijuana grow near the border of Yamhill and Tillamook counties in August.
The extremely large grow consisted of multiple gardens, and totaled nearly 5,000 plants with an approximate value of $5 million dollars. It was located three weeks ago by Sgt. Russ Vandewettering of the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office, during aerial flights over Bureau of Land Management property.
Because the end of marijuana growing season is growing near, and to avoid the risk of the marijuana being harvested and making it onto the streets, YCINT chose to eradicate the marijuana as soon as possible.
After the grow site was cleared by Oregon State Police SWAT, detectives and officers discovered an intricate maze of trails leading to a number of different marijuana gardens.
“This was the most impressive grow I have been involved in eradicating” said Sgt. Chris Ray, supervisor for the YCINT. “Based on what we found in the grow sites it appears this group has been growing in this area for years. The damage done to the terrain is extreme.”
Detectives found several hand dug reservoirs and what they described as “miles of plastic piping” designed to water plants over large distances. Trees, both large and small, had been cut away, and ground cover removed to make room for the plants. Chemicals, including fertilizers and animal repellents were found in several gardens as well.
According to Yamhill County Sheriff and YCINT Board Chairman Jack Crabtree, grow sites such as these have become a growing problem in rural areas.
“Run by Mexican cartels, these drug trafficking organization (DTO) grows choose public lands to grow their crop because of the remote locations and anonymity,” Crabtree said. “The growers, who sometimes live in the gardens for weeks or months, are often armed with weapons to defend their crop. As recently as Aug. 11, Jackson County deputies shot and killed a man armed with a shotgun while eradicating a large scale grow.”
YCINT was assisted by the Lincoln County Narcotics Team (LINT), the Tillamook County Narcotics Team (TNT), the McMinnville Police Department, the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office and the Oregon State Police.
Anyone with questions or information regarding this case or other narcotics incidents is asked to call Sgt. Chris Ray at 503-472-6565.
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