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OSP detective honored for record-setting pot raid By Nick Morgan Updated: Aug 31, 2022 04:52 PM A A 4 View all photos Oregon State Police Det. Ryan Neuenschwander was given an Award for Excellence for a November 2021 raid on a White City industrial complex where more than 500,000 pounds of processed marijuana was seized. It was among the largest illegal marijuana seizures in U.S. law enforcement history, according to the Oregon-Idaho high Intensity Drug Trafficking Area and the Oregon Narcotics Enforcement Association. [OSP file photo] More than a half-million pounds of marijuana was seized at this White City warehouse in 2021. More than a half-million pounds of marijuana was seized at this White City industrial property in 2021. The case is still under investigation, and no suspects have been named. [OSP file photo] More than 100 migrant workers living without necessities such as indoor plumbing were detained and questioned during raid. [OSP file photo] Marijuana plants dry in one of the White City warehouses police raided in November 2021. [OSP file photo] Detective gets award for investigation that led to the seizure of 500,000 pounds of marijuana in White City An Oregon State Police detective was honored for his work on a marijuana investigation that resulted in what could be the largest seizure of dried and processed illicit marijuana ever seen in the United States. The Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area and the Oregon Narcotics Enforcement Association awarded OSP Southwest Region Drug Enforcement Section Detective Ryan Neuenschwander the 2022 Award for Excellence for his work leading a November 2021 multiagency investigation into an industrial complex at 1385 Antelope Road in White City. During the search, conducted Nov. 18 and 19, investigators found more than 500,000 pounds of processed illicit marijuana that police described as having a “conservative street value” of $500 million. The August award sheds new light on what’s “believed to be the single largest, if not one of the largest, processed illegal marijuana seizures in United States law enforcement history,” according to the award description . “This investigation was led by (Detective) Ryan Neuenschwander ... and would not have achieved such outstanding results if not for his leadership and the excellent utilization of fundamental drug enforcement principles,” the HIDTA and ONEA’s 2-1/2 page award caption states. Lt. Brandon Boice, who oversees OSP’s Southwest Region Drug Enforcement Section, was not immediately available for comment, but the award description highlights “unique and creative investigative techniques,” going undercover, and the “logistical nightmare” of testing, weighing and transporting dozens of trailer loads of illicit marijuana for destruction over the course of two days. The seized pot filled filled five industrial warehouses before its disposal in the Dry Creek landfill. The investigation began Nov. 9 with a traffic stop on a white box truck. The commercial vehicle was among multiple transport vehicles spotted leaving a suspected unauthorized grow at 151 Hammel Road, Eagle Point. During the stop, police say, the trooper observed marijuana leaves in plain view stuck beneath the box truck’s rear-roll-up door. The driver allegedly told police he was hauling hemp, but police tests showed otherwise. Ultimately, more than a ton of marijuana was seized — 2,180 pounds — from the truck. Two days later, police trailed a black Dodge pickup and a white Jeep, both with California plates and both towing trailers, from the Hammel Road property to the White City commercial property. “During additional surveillance detectives observed what appeared to be significant amounts of hanging/drying marijuana/hemp through an open roll-up door inside a building at the front of the property,” according to the award description. The same day, Nov. 11, OSP trailed a white Jeep with California plates headed south from the Hammel Road grow, stopping it on Interstate 5 before it crossed the California border. The driver allegedly told police the trailer was full of hemp but could not provide the necessary documentation. Police THC tests showed the trailer contained marijuana. Some 560 pounds were seized during the stop. On Nov. 15, Neuenschwander and another detective “were able to gain lawful access into the industrial complex in an undercover capacity,” according to the award description. It states that Neuenschwander used “unique and creative investigative techniques,” but doesn’t specify further. Undercover, Neuenschwander identified one of the “enormous warehouses” containing drying cannabis plants and spotted the same black Dodge truck police had trailed four days earlier. Neuenschwander compiled his findings into a search warrant that was signed by a Jackson County Circuit Court judge Nov. 17, and created the tactical plan for serving the warrant The two-day raid drew resources from Drug Enforcement Administration’s Medford office, the Jackson County Illegal Marijuana Enforcement Team, the Josephine Marijuana Enforcement Team, Klamath County’s Basin Interagency Narcotics Team and Jackson County Fire District 3. It took dozens of dump trailer loads to the Dry Creek landfill, which Neuenschwander’s award describes as an “arduous task.” Well into the afternoon of the first day of the raid, law enforcement “had barely made a dent” clearing marijuana from five industrial-sized warehouses, and OSP’s Special Weapons and Tactics Team were called to keep the crime scene secure overnight. At one point, more than 100 migrant workers were detained. Police say the workers were living at the industrial warehouse complex without basics such as running water. The case is still under investigation, and no suspects have been named, but the award information states that police have information that “ties this substantial illegal marijuana enterprise and seizure to the Mexican Michoacán Cartel.” Reach web editor Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @MTwebeditor.