A Texas man has been indicted for conspiring to manufacture and possess with intent to distribute marijuana as part of a multi-state trafficking organization in Oregon, including in Marion and Polk counties.
According to the U.S. Attorneyâs Office, the 51-year-old man from Houston purchased houses in Oregon using several identities and used them for indoor marijuana grows.
Oregon State Police initiated the investigation after learning of “excessive electricity use at the various properties, which, in several instances, resulted in transformer explosions,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement.Â
People in the organization allegedly grew, harvested and transported marijuana to states where marijuana is illegal.
According to the indictment, between August 2020 and September 2021, the organization allegedly trafficked more than $13 million in marijuana.
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When the Drug Enforcement Administration and Oregon State Police officers searched 25 homes in Oregon he was associated with and his Houston home, they found 33,000 marijuana plants, 1,800 pounds of marijuana, 23 firearms, nine vehicles, $20,000 in money orders and more than $591,000 in cash.
The organization also had 16 properties with an estimated value of $6.5 million, including properties in Clatsop, Columbia, Linn, Marion, Multnomah and Polk counties.
He made his first appearance in federal court in Texas Friday.
The maximum sentence for his crimes are life in prison with a 10-year mandatory minimum and a $10 million fine.
Bill Poehler covers Marion County for the Statesman Journal. Contact him at bpoehler@statesmanjournal.com or Twitter.com/bpoehlerÂ
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