Black-Market Marijuana Operation In Rural Phoenix Raided By Police
JACKSON COUNTY, Ore — In rural Phoenix, Oregon detectives from the Illegal Marijuana Enforcement Team (IMET) executed a search warrant yesterday morning at a suspected black-market cannabis operation.
Conducted at the 4000 block of Fern Valley Road, around 6,054 marijuana plants located across 20 greenhouses on the property were seized during the raid.
Illegal Cannabis Operation Raided In Phoenix
Authorities have confirmed the site did not possess a license to cultivate, handle, or process cannabis. Over the course of the investigation, the operation in Phoenix was linked to an illicit marijuana cultivation site in Northern California.
With support from the Oregon State Police (OSP) and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO), IMET arrested one person- Yuhua (also known as Shirley) Hong, 44, of Montague, California, at the scene.
Hong was taken into custody and charges against another suspect have been referred to the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office. Hong was charged with three felony counts that include unlawful possession, distribution, and manufacture of marijuana.
Charges And Fines Issued Following Phoenix Police Raid
Over and above the criminal charges, fines totaling $26,000 were issued by Jackson County Code Enforcement to the responsible party. These related to violations regarding unpermitted construction, solid waste, and operating a marijuana production site in violation of land use regulations.
To assess potential water usage violations, the Enforcement section of the Oregon Water Resources Department joined the investigation. Further charges related to water usage may follow.
As part of IMET’s ongoing efforts to combat black-market marijuana activities in Oregon’s Rogue Valley, the operation was conducted by a task force funded by the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission.
The task force is a multi-agency group consisting of personnel from JCSO, Homeland Security Investigations, OSP, the Medford Police Department, and the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office. Unlicensed and illegal marijuana operations are the focus of IMET and the regulatory agencies monitor compliance within the legal cannabis industry.
While detectives are still pursuing additional leads, investigations into the illegal operation are ongoing. At this time, they have no further information.