Police raid nets 29 arrests, scores of illegal drugs, guns
PENDLETON, Ore. -- A year-long investigation into drug and firearm trafficking in Oregon and southeast Washington led to Thursday's arrest of 29 people.
The multi-agency investigation is ongoing and the names of those arrested will be released Monday to prevent any impact to the ongoing operation, police said.
According to Pendleton Police Chief Stuart Roberts, Board Chair of the Blue Mountain Enforcement Narcotics Team (BENT), approximately 110 officers from federal, state, and local agencies moved throughout northeast Oregon and southeast Washington Thursday morning to begin serving 27 search warrants on homes, a storage locker and vehicles. The operation also sought to arrest several suspects with outstanding warrants related to the investigation. Police were also looking into at least 30 other locations.
Investigators said their goal was to dismantle a drug trafficking organization that has been operating in Umatilla, Morrow, and Union counties, as well as southeast Washington and southern Oregon.
As of 1 p.m. Thursday, police seized the following related to this investigation:
- 6.5 lbs of methamphetamine
- 1/2 ounce heroin
- Nearly 800 prescription medication pills
- 23 pounds of processed marijuana
- Approximately 200 marijuana plants
- Four indoor marijuana grow sites
- Eleven handguns and one silencer
- Ten long barrel firearms, including 1 assault rifle and 1 shotgun
Law enforcement and other agencies involved in the investigation and today's operation include:
- Blue Mountain Enforcement Narcotics Team
- Pendleton Police Department
- Umatilla Police Department
- Hermiston Police Department
- Umatilla County Sheriff's Office
- Morrow County Sheriff's Office
- Union County Sheriff's Office
- Milton-Freewater Police Department
- Umatilla Tribal Police Department
- Oregon State Police Drug Enforcement Section, Criminal Investigation Division, Patrol Services Division, Fish & Wildlife Division, SWAT, and Evidence Technician
- Tri-Cities Metro
- High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Interdiction Team
- Drug Enforcement Administration
- US Marshals
- Immigration & Customs Enforcement
- Central Oregon Drug Enforcement (CODE)
- Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team (INET)
- Union/Wallowa Drug Task Force
- Baker County Narcotics Enforcement Team
- Umatilla County District Attorney's Office
- US Attorney's Office, Oregon and Eastern District of Washington
- Oregon Department of Justice
- Department of Human Services
Photographs are courtesy of the Oregon State Police.
Federal goons on a privet operation of a racist agenda, good people VOTE YES ON Measure 80 â The Oregon Cannabis Tax Act http://octa2012.org and Washington Initiative Measure No. 502 -http://www.newapproachwa.org a yes vote that will remove state-law prohibitions against producing, processing, and selling marijuana, subject to licensing and regulation by the liquor control board; allow limited possession of marijuana by persons aged twenty-one and over; and impose 25% excise taxes on wholesale and retail sales of marijuana, earmarking revenue for purposes that include substance-abuse prevention, research, education, and healthcare.âbecause it will improve public safety and respect for law enforcement. With regulation of production we can focus our limited resources on fighting marijuana-related problems where they have direct negative impacts on our communities and not on throwing people in jail for using a substance that isn't more dangerous than alcohol.So tell the Federal terrorist to go back to Washington DC. and Take YOUR WAR with you to your house.
A who's who of illegal alien names.
Can we guess the names?
and now the government will distribute the drugs and weapons back to the community
@JohnSimpson116 ....what's the matter with you???
Knows too much about Eric Holder?
Were any of the guns from operation fast and furious?
holy inter-agency narcotics investigation bat man
The untaxable thus illegal "marijuana plants."Â Imagine the if you could get stoned off Dandelions, they'd be illegal too.
 @molotovmouse They're illegal in my yard already! ;^)
Can't wait for the list of names.
1/2 ounce of Heroin- Whoppie!
 @Marine1968 That was probably medical heroin. You know, for personal use.
Once again we have unlimited resources for the failed war on drugs.
That is quite a list of agencies. I want to also thank S. C. Johnson for making the ziploc storage bags.Â
Cool but really this is like plucking one hair from a dog and saying you shaved it. It helps but is nothing compared to what is out there still. I think borders all over US should be treated like military borders and marijuana should be legalized. American priorities are out of whack. We promote alcohol everywhere yet have insanely high rates of alcohol related deaths. Meanwhile marijuana has been proven effective as a medical aid, there has never been an OD from it, and it mellows people out...so why is that illegal?
 @MagicMooseÂ
Oh you mean like heroin, meth, and prescription pills right?
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Not harmful?
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It wasn't weed that sent 15 agencies into action.
 @MagicMoose It's illegal because it makes us think differently in a harmful manner.  People who smoke pot are terrorists...don't you know?
 @portlandborn83Â
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More like crazed rampaging maniacs in search of Hostess and Doritos; I love how my spell checker automatically capitalizes proper names of brand-name junk foods...yes, it is a corporate conspiracy by our fascist corporate overlords. The spell checker doesn't even recognize obama as a proper word.
 @MagicMoose It's illegal because they can't figure out how to tax it and collect the money off it.