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Pot raids require much planning By Mail Tribune staff Sep 04, 2022 12:30 AM A A This not a criticism, only a request for clarification. Why does it take nine months to crack down on something as large as that illegal pot grow? I can’t believe it can have gone unseen in all that time. And, by the way, I am really sorry I voted “yes” to legalize marijuana. Talk about unforeseen consequences! — Lucille You wrote to us about an August raid on Hillcrest Road in Jackson County that revealed 16,827 illegal marijuana plants growing in 87 plastic-covered temporary greenhouses. What was especially vexing about the operation is that water experts conservatively estimated it illegally used more than 1 million gallons of water this summer before getting busted. Southern Oregon is in the midst of multi-year drought that has law-abiding farmers going without much-needed water. We checked in with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office about why it took months to investigate the site and plan a raid. An investigation into an illegal grow usually starts with a complaint, which prompts law enforcement to check with state agencies about whether the site has the necessary licenses and permits to grow marijuana, said Sheriff Nathan Sickler, who walked us through the steps of an investigation and raid. If there are no permits, then comes surveillance to see whether there’s enough evidence of an illegal operation to write up a search warrant. The Jackson County District Attorney’s Office reviews the search warrant, and a judge has to authorize it. Then law enforcement creates a plan to raid the operation and destroy illegal marijuana plants and processed pot. “That’s not a one-day deal,” Sickler said. Preparations can get complicated, especially if one site has ties to other grow locations, and if the operation is backed by a drug-trafficking organization. That ups the danger. “That’s different than if someone just has five greenhouses on their property. We’ve had cases take months and even years because they’re so intricately interwoven,” Sickler said. Sometimes a SWAT team is mobilized to help with a potentially dangerous raid, said Aaron Lewis, spokesman for the sheriff’s office. Law enforcement also has to investigate financial information and the criminal ties of those involved, and coordinate schedules with a variety of other agencies. For the Hillcrest Road bust, the sheriff’s office coordinated with Oregon State Police, Rogue Area Drug Enforcement detectives, Oregon Water Resources Department District 13 watermasters who investigated the illegal water use, and Homeland Security Investigations, a federal division that investigates human trafficking and labor exploitation of workers at illegal grows. Jackson County Code Enforcement was also there to issue citations and fines for trashing the land, having dangerous illegal electrical wiring and other issues. Like the sheriff’s office, watermasters and code enforcement staff are crushed by the workload and volume of illegal operations. Sickler said the sheriff’s office has the capacity to carry out one or two raids per week, on average. Raids often take a day, but sometimes more. Before people like code enforcement staff or watermasters can go on the site during a raid, law enforcement has to arrest suspects and make sure no one dangerous is hiding on the property, Lewis said. “It’s quite the undertaking,” he said. “It’s not like clearing a house. It’s a lot more extensive. At the Hillcrest raid, there were 87 greenhouses on five acres. You have to go through all of that and make sure no one is hiding there and there’s nothing dangerous.” Send questions to “Since You Asked,” Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; or by email to [email protected].