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A4 U.S. NEWS
Friday 13 May 2022
Cartel-financed Oregon pot farms expand to growing indoors

By ANDREW SELSKY identified dozens of eth-
Associated Press nic-based drug trafficking
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — For- organizations, each op-
eign drug cartels that es- erating between five and
tablished illegal outdoor 30 marijuana grow sites,
marijuana farms in Oregon Bechtel said.
last year are expanding to Giving an idea of the scope
large indoor grows, a state of the problem, the Oregon
police official said Thurs- Criminal Justice Commis-
day. sion says 551,000 marijuana
The new challenge plants were seized in Jack-
emerged as a task force son County, Josephine
created by the Legislature County and central Or-
met for the first time to fig- egon's Deschutes County
ure out how to combat from July 1, 2020 to June
cannabis-related prob- 30, 2021. And that was a
lems, some of which threat- tiny fraction of the illegal
en Oregon's legal, regulat- crop. Authorities also seized
ed recreational marijuana almost $3.4 million in cash in
industry. the raids.
The Task Force on Canna- "Despite legal avenues
bis-Derived Intoxicants and for purchases and sales of
Illegal Cannabis Produc- marijuana within Oregon,
tion is also responsible for Josephine County Sheriff Dave Daniel stands amid the debris of plastic hoop houses destroyed by an illegal marijuana market
recommending funding law enforcement, used to grow cannabis illegally, near Selma, Ore., on June 16, 2021. continues to cause public
and command structure to Associated Press safety concerns, including
enable law enforcement diversion of marijuana to
to combat illegal canna- a Republican from the valleys. abling them to grow year- other states, sales of mari-
bis production, changes to southern town of Grants They were not licensed round, a task force mem- juana to underage buyers,
state laws to address labor Pass, as the task force met by the Oregon Liquor and ber said. illegal cultivation of mari-
trafficking and water theft via video link. Cannabis Commission and "We're starting to hear juana on private, state,
by the cartel-financed pot One of the biggest prob- are financed by foreign about Josephine County, and federal property, and
farms and regulations on lems is the recent prolif- criminal cartels, from Latin a lot of operations moving enrichment of organized
genetic engineering of eration of illegal, industrial- America, Europe and Asia, indoors," said Oregon State criminal operations," the
cannabis, among other is- sized marijuana farms. authorities have said. There Police Sgt. Tyler Bechtel. "It commission said in a report.
sues. In early 2021, hundreds of were more pot farms than makes it all that much hard- The report examined re-
"It started with a simple ask greenhouses began crop- overwhelmed law enforce- er to see it from the street, sults after an outlay of mil-
of help and it's turned into, ping up in southern Ore- ment officials could take see it from the air, just smell lions of dollars in grants to
'Oh, my goodness, there's gon's Josephine and Jack- down. Indoor illegal grow- it. And it's not a seasonal the three counties to ad-
so much to deal with.' And son counties — some within ing operations have long problem when you move dress increasing unlawful
so I think we just have to city limits, others brazenly existed indoors, but now indoors. It's a year-round marijuana cultivation and
kind of take one at a time," established along high- criminal gangs are pushing problem." distribution operations in
said state Rep. Lily Morgan, ways or tucked into remote more in that direction, en- The state police have Oregon. q
Wind, drought combine to make western U.S. fires unstoppable

Meanwhile, winds in South- fire danger because of day despite winds gusting
ern California sent embers low humidity levels, erratic in some areas above 45
flying in the coastal com- winds and warm tempera- mph (72 kph).
munity of Laguna Niguel tures. The same combina- Some evacuation orders
on Wednesday. More than tion of weather conditions were relaxed along the
20 homes were destroyed, have contributed over the southern flank of the fire
many of them multimillion- last month to much worse near the town of Las Ve-
dollar mansions. No injuries than normal spring wildfires gas, New Mexico.
were reported. in the U.S. Additional crews were on
The California fire was much In New Mexico, the fastest- order to join the more than
smaller than the New Mexi- moving flames in the south- 1,800 personnel fighting the
co blaze that has burned at ern foothills of the Rocky New Mexico fire, and fore-
least 170 homes, but Brian Mountains were headed casters said weather con-
Fennessy, chief of the Or- northeast and away from ditions should improve on
ange County Fire Authority, the area's biggest popula- Friday.

A firefighter works to put out a structure burning during a wildfire said drought and climate tion center of Taos, a pop- The fire already has burned
Wednesday, May 11, 2022, in Laguna Niguel, Calif. change have combined to ular tourist destination 40 through a forested land-
Associated Press make fires that were once miles (64 kilometers) south scape held sacred by its
easy to contain extremely of the state line with Colo- rural residents, many losing
By SUSAN MONTOYA BRY- burns trees sucked dry of dangerous for people and rado. homes that have been in
AN moisture over decades of property The winds have made it their families for genera-
Associated Press drought amid a forecast From New Mexico to Col- difficult for aircraft to fly tions. Some evacuated res-
The flames of a northern Thursday of more winds ex- orado and parts of the to help firefighters on the idents who were allowed to
New Mexico wildfire have pected to fan the blaze, Midwest, forecasters on ground, but some planes return home Tuesday and
become unstoppable as according to wildfire fight- Thursday issued red flag managed to drop retar- Wednesday found only
the largest blaze in the U.S. ing managers. warnings of extreme wild- dant on the blaze Wednes- charred rubble.q