[Sativa]

On September 10, 2007 a Curry County Sheriff's Deputy and U. S. Forest Service Law Enforcement Officer located a large marijuana growing operation while flying in the area of Cedar Creek in South Curry County. These personnel were being flown in an Oregon Air National Guard helicopter. This ended up being the largest marijuana grow ever seized in Curry County.

Road access to Cedar Creek is through Rowdy Creek Road, which leaves Hwy. 101 in the Smith River, California area. The grow operation was spread through about a two-mile section of Cedar Creek and was in sections 9, 10, 15, and 16 of Range 11 W, directly adjacent to the California-Oregon border. This is forestland property belonging to the U.S. Forest Service and the State of Oregon.

Due to the size of the grow operation and the manpower and resources that would be needed to enter, investigate, eradicate and seize the large operation, the grow operation was not seized until September 13, 2007. Personnel were requested from and provided by the following agencies: Curry County Sheriff's Office Deputies and Reserves; U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement Officers from Oregon and California; Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); SCINT –South Coast Interagency Narcotics Team; Coos County Sheriff's Office Deputies and Detectives; JOMET – Josephine Marijuana Eradication Team (Josephine County S.O.); Air National Guard helicopter; Private helicopter company – retained to cargo net plants from remote gardens; and Curry County Road Department dump trucks.

Due to the rugged nature of the terrain and size of the operation, two teams walked in on foot, one from the west end and one from the east end. These teams started at 7 a.m. and it took approximately three hours to cover the two miles into the grow locations.

Once an area had been made secure, a landing zone was developed and a helicopter inserted additional officers to assist in the eradication of the 14-15 marijuana gardens located strung along the 1.5-2 miles along the Cedar Creek drainage. A total of over 30 personnel were used in the eradication.

A campsite was located but no one was found tending the gardens. The marijuana gardens were at times connected by water systems and the marijuana plants were being watered with drip irrigation systems. Battery powered timers and other similar equipment was being used to water the marijuana plants.

Helicopters dropped cargo nets into the marijuana gardens and when the nets were full a helicopter was used to airlift the nets to the landing zone. Each cargo net contained several hundred pounds of marijuana plants. The helicopter was able to deliver some cargo nets directly into the bed of the dump trucks.

Over 9,000 marijuana plants with a potential street value of several million dollars were seized.

During the operation two officers were airlifted from the scene. One officer was transported to Sutter Coast Hospital to be treated for dehydration problems and the other suffered a sprained ankle.

When all the gardens had been seized, helicopters were able to land and transport the eradication teams from the creek drainage back to the Command Post/Landing Zone area.

Sheriff Allen Boice commented, "This is the largest marijuana grow seized in the history of Curry County. A sophisticated marijuana grow operation such as this is the work of an organized criminal drug organization. Investigation and seizure of an operation like this requires cooperation between law enforcement agencies. The Curry County Sheriff's office will continue to work with other state and federal agencies to identify and prosecute those responsible."


Deputy Steve Carpenter (from left), Sheriff Allen Boice and Sgt. John Ward stand with some of the marijuana grow seized in the south part of Curry County. The helicopter flying with a net full of marijuana.



News Hawk- User http://www.420Magazine.com
Source: The Curry County Reporter
Contact: Gold Beach, The Curry County Reporter
Copyright: 2007 The Curry County Reporter
Website: Sheriff Boice: ‘largest marijuana grow seized in the history of Curry County'