CENTRAL POINT, Ore – A task force raid on a black-market marijuana warehouse discovered more than six-thousand pounds of processed illegal marijuana packaged for shipment, as well as nearly $5,000 cash. Depending on where the shipment was headed, the street value of the drugs was approximately $15 million.
At around 3:06 p.m. Tuesday, Aug 10th, investigations led the Illegal Marijuana Enforcement Team (IMET) to a warehouse in the 6000 block of Agate Rd. in Central Point. Medford Area Drug and Gang Enforcement (MADGE) detectives assisted with the raid. The suspect, Agustin Rodriguez, 49, from Lathrop, Calif. was arrested and lodged at the Jackson County Jail on felony charges of prohibited import or export, unlawful possession, unlawful manufacture, and conspiracy for unlawful distribution of a marijuana item.
The warehouse did not have any permits to grow or process marijuana for recreational, commercial, or medical purposes.
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 Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Medford Police Department, and the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office.
The investigation is ongoing with detectives working additional suspect leads. No further information is currently available for release.
