La Pine-area man arrested in drug raid on property that turned up large quantity of marijuana, other illegal drugs
Barney Lerten
(Update: Adding video)
La PINE, Ore. (KTVZ) — A La Pine-area man was arrested Tuesday on charges of illegal marijuana manufacturing in a raid on a property that turned up two large, disassembled marijuana grows.
Around 7:45 a.m. on Tuesday, detectives with the Deschutes County Illegal Marijuana Market Enforcement (DCIMME) team, assisted by the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement (CODE) team, executed a search warrant in the 52000 Block of Sunrise Boulevard in La Pine, Bend Police Lt. Mike Landolt said in a news release.
Detectives executed the warrant in relation to a short-term investigation into the illegal manufacturing of marijuana, he said.
During the execution of the search warrant, detectives located two large disassembled marijuana grows located in two separate shops on the property, Landolt said.
Detectives located and seized nearly 60 pounds of processed marijuana, approximately 6 pounds of psilocybin mushrooms, and a small quantity of LSD, MDMA(Ecstasy) and Ketamine. Detectives also seized one firearm and a large sum of cash.
During the investigation, property owner Kevin James Allen, 44, of the La Pine areawas arrested and later lodged at the Deschutes County Jail on charges of Schedule 1 drug possession, a Class A felony, possession of more than eight pounds of marijuana, a Class C felony, and attempted manufacture of a controlled substance (marijuana), a Class A misdemeanor.
Landolt said more charges may be filed at a later date, as this is an ongoing investigation.
The Central Oregon Drug Enforcement (CODE) team is a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force supported by the Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program and the following Central Oregon law enforcement agencies: Bend Police Department, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Redmond Police Department, Prineville Police Department, Crook County Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Madras Police Department, Oregon State Police, Sunriver Police Department, Black Butte Police Department, United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Warm Springs Tribal Police Department, Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson County District Attorney’s, and the Oregon National Guard.
The Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates and provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement task forces to disrupt or dismantle local, multi-state and international drug trafficking organizations.