On the morning of Tuesday, July 30, Illegal Marijuana Enforcement Team detectives served a search warrant at a property in the 900-block of Upper River Road. A second search warrant was served at a neighboring property in the 600-block of Upper River Road. Detectives located indoor and outdoor grow operations.
Detectives with the Illegal Marijuana Enforcement Team seized more than 1,000 marijuana plants at two rural properties and two men are now in custody.
Detectives characterize the collective grow as a “black market” operation; the suspects did not have any permits to grow or process marijuana for recreational, commercial, or medical purposes. In addition to the plants, detectives found a laboratory that produced butane honey oil, a concentrated form of cannabis.
Detectives arrested two suspects who were present at the time the warrants were served: Michael Glen Newmann, 66, of the 900-block of Upper River Road; and, Joshua Carey, of Homedale, Idaho. Newmann was lodged in jail on charges related to the unlawful possession, manufacture, and delivery of marijuana and butane honey oil. Carey was lodged in jail for the unlawful manufacture of marijuana.
IMET detectives were assisted Tuesday by detectives with the Medford Area Drug and Gang Enforcement team, and deputies with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. A team from the Oregon State Police will assist in safely dismantling the BHO lab.
While regulatory agencies investigate permitted cannabis operations, IMET is focusing on the black market marijuana trade in the Rogue Valley. IMET is a multi-agency task force funded by a grant from the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission. The task force includes personnel from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, the Medford Police Department, and the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office.
The investigation is ongoing. No further information is currently available for release.
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