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On this day, July 27, 2020, the mayors of Portland, Oregon, and five other major US cities appealed to Congress to make it illegal for the federal government to deploy militarized agents to cities that don't want their presence.
Also on this day, July 27, 2020, US agents declared an unlawful assembly, and just after 1 a.m., confronted protesters on the street and worked for hours to clear the area. Several people were seen being detained, but it was not immediately clear how many may were arrested.
Also on this day, June 27, 1859 US General William S. Harney sent troops to San Juan island -- in what is now Washington State -- to face the British in the Pig War, which was a dispute started by a British pig eating potatoes out of an American farmer's field.
Investigation spotlights what can be done with the means
The Oregon State Police, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Grants Pass Police Department, and multiple local interagency drug teams concluded an 18-month investigation November 14 when nine search warrants were served in southern Oregon resulting in 23 arrests.
They were able to seizure 37 firearms and 33,000 dollars in cash as the culmination of a local drug trafficking organization. Additionally, the search warrants resulted in 2,000 grams of methamphetamine, 636g of fentanyl pills, 52g of fentanyl powder, 58g of cocaine, 250 pounds of marijuana, and ¾ of a pound of illegal mushrooms. The investigation had already yielded 40 pounds of methamphetamine, 9.25 pounds of fentanyl, 3 pounds of cocaine, and ½ a pound of heroin over the course of 18 months. These quantities are significant and their removal from the distribution chain is a significant outcome.
Nine years after Oregon voters passed a ballot measure legalizing the recreational use of marijuana and its regulated cultivation and sale, the state is grappling with an explosion of illegal marijuana farms that have brazenly cropped up, primarily in Southern Oregon. There are four countries reporting cartels with slave camps in Oregon as a result of legalizing drugs and defunding police. The public is still mostly unaware that Oregon is a target for slave camps.
In the Second Special Session in 2021,
SB 893 was passed dedicating $21 million to help police, sheriff's offices and community organizations in 14 counties paying for costs of cracking down on the thousands of industrial-scale, illegal pot farms, and trafficking of illegal drugs and slaves. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle called the proliferation of cannabis growing operations run by foreign cartels a humanitarian, environmental and public safety crisis.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
This investigation has put a spotlight on what enforcement can do with funding. As legislators talk of a special session to repeal Measure 110, legislation to extend funding investigations is also of importance. Apprehending cartel doesn’t just cut off the supply chain for illegal drugs, but it curtails trafficking of slaves. Reports include abuse, rape, and two girls were recently shot by cartels. These victims won’t talk to police because they’ve been told they will be deported.
Captain Kyle Kennedy told local communities; “we need your help. You are the eyes and ears of everything that happens in your neighborhoods. We ask you to report any suspected criminal activity to local law enforcement. We can work together in the disruption of these drug trafficking organizations.”
The Oregon State Police continues to work in collaboration with local interagency drug teams around the state in order to deter and disrupt the flow of illegal drugs into Oregon communities.
--Donna BleilerPost Date: 2023-11-16 11:56:19 | Last Update: 2023-11-16 00:02:10 |