Large-scale marijuana operation raided near Junction City, 8,000 plants seized

A large-scale marijuana operation was raided Sept. 15 south of Junction City by the Lane County Sheriff's Office, with police seizing around 8,000 marijuana plants, cash and silver from the suspected illegal grow. It's the second large-scale operation raided near Junction City in the past two months.

The sheriff's office received a tip regarding the grow on a property in the 30000 block of Maple Lane, and deputies were granted a search warrant, Sgt. Thomas Speldrich said. There were between eight and 12 greenhouses on the property, he said.

Along with the living plants, officers seized 4,822 pounds of dried marijuana, processed concentrated marijuana known as butane honey oil, nearly $50,000 in cash and $32,000 worth of silver.

Aug. 24 raid:Water use and waste violations issued to illegal marijuana grow property owners

Police also seized a luxury SUV believed to have been purchased using funds from the illegal operation, according to Speldrich.

The 50-year-old property owner was issued citations in lieu of custody for unlawful manufacturing of cannabinoid and marijuana items, and unlawful possession of marijuana.

There were workers on the site who were not cited and were let go, Speldrich said.

The grow was adjacent to the Willamette River, and the water used came from unpermitted wells on the property, according to regional Water Master Lanaya Blakely from the Oregon State Watermaster's Office.

A marijuana grow of this size can consume approximately 12,000 gallons of water each day, and over 1 million gallons over a 90-day period, according to the sheriff's office.

The operation is still under investigation.

Louis Krauss covers breaking news for The Register-Guard. Contact him at lkrauss@registerguard.com, and follow him on Twitter @LouisKraussNews.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Large-scale marijuana operation raided south of Junction City