RADE raid nets more than 50 pounds of mushrooms
From our weekly issue dated June 09, 2010
Psilocybin mushrooms (Photo courtesy OSP)
Marijuana and psilocybin mushrooms with a value potential of hundreds of thousands of dollars were seized in rural Cave Junction from sites with state-of-the-art indoor growing equipment.
In all, more than 50 pounds of psilocybin mushrooms, two sophisticated psilocybin mushroom-growing operations, 372 marijuana plants, a large indoor marijuana-growing operation, a loaded handgun, more than $5,000 cash, and other items of evidentiary value were seized as a result of a multi-county narcotics investigation.
Sgt. Jim Johnson, of the Oregon State Police Drug Enforcement Section, said that search warrants were served Wednesday, June 2, by the Rogue Area Drug Enforcement (RADE) team and Medford Area Drug & Gang Enforcement (MADGE) team.
Arrested in the 100 block of White Oak Drive, off Fernwood Drive, was Bonnie J. Burton, 39, of Cave Junction. She was lodged in Josephine County Jail in Grants Pass on the following charges:
Two counts each of unlawful possession, manufacture and delivery of marijuana; two counts each of unlawful possession, manufacture and delivery of psilocybin mushrooms; and two counts each of endangering the welfare of a minor, and first-degree child neglect.
Also, four counts of false application for vehicle registration and false swearing for vehicle registration; and one count of being an adult using a minor in the commission of a controlled substance offense.
Additional arrests are pending in the continuing investigation involving federal, state and county investigators, Johnson said.
“An extended multi-agency investigation and collaboration between interagency drug teams and excellent detective work was paramount in the success of this investigation,“ said Johnson.
Information developed at the White Oak residence led to an additional search warrant for the property, as well as for two other locations. The two other search warrant locations were in the 200 block of Burch Drive on the west side of Hwy. 199.
There, investigators seized a large indoor marijuana-growing operation and another sophisticated mushroom-growing operation. Among evidence seized at the locations on Burch was a car trailer, which contained an active marijuana-growing operation.
“In total,“ said OSP, “the seized psilocybin mushrooms have an estimated value of approximately $40,000 with an undetermined value on the unharvested mushrooms. The total value potential from both growing operations is estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.“
Assisting in execution of the search warrants and collection of evidence were detectives from MADGE, the Grants Pass Dept. of Public Safety (GPDPS), agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration, and GPDPS and OSP evidence technicians.
Anyone with information regarding suspicious drug activity or marijuana-growing operations is encouraged to phone the RADE tip line at 541-955-6970.
The interagency narcotics RADE team is comprised of personnel from GPDPS, OSP, Josephine County Sheriff“s Office, Josephine County District Attorney“s Office, and Josephine County Community Corrections.
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