Thieves trying to take marijuana end up with bags full of hemp, Oregon cops say

Thieves thought they were stealing recreational marijuana — but instead ended up with between 60 and 80 pounds of hemp, Oregon police said.

The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday that four suspects covered in mud were found walking down a Molalla, Oregon, highway with bags and pockets full of cannabis plants. They allegedly stole the plants from a legal grow operation, officials said.

“The suspects mistakenly thought they were stealing recreational marijuana,” the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

The four men — Sebastian Wade Roby, 19; Jason Patrick Troyer, 21; Tanner Leslie Giles, 20; and Donovan Allan Hall, 22 — were stopped after 3 a.m. Tuesday, the sheriff’s office said. They were carrying large bags with a “green leafy plant” that was falling out, video shows.

“Mud was caked on the subjects’ feet and ankles,” the sheriff’s office said. “One subject was carrying a large bushel of plants in his arms in addition to his bagful.”

Hall had cannabis “sticking out of his jacket pocket,” and Giles had a “seabag full of plants,” the sheriff’s office said. Roby also carried a backpack full of cannabis plants, officials said. Troyer was carrying a knife, according to the sheriff’s office.

The suspects face charges of theft and criminal trespass, according to the sheriff’s office.

“Suspects had heard about the farm from a friend, and two of them had taken a bus from Portland to Molalla to steal the plants, thinking the plants were recreational marijuana,” the sheriff’s office said. “(Spoiler alert: They were not.)”

The owner of the farm said the plants were hemp, which has small amounts of THC and are typically used for CBD oils, according to the sheriff’s office. They were valued at $2,500.

“These plants are mostly used for therapeutic CBD oils, and would not have delivered the intoxicating effect hoped for by the suspects,” the sheriff’s office said.