MADGE Seizes Nearly 40 Pounds of Meth, Firearms in Major Investigations

Medford, Oregon- Authorities say the Medford Area Drug and Gang Enforcement team has seized nearly 40 pounds of methamphetamine, multiple firearms, and other controlled substances in recent investigations aimed at disrupting drug trafficking in southern Oregon.

The task force highlighted two major cases. Following a five-month investigation, detectives arrested 44-year-old Christopher Boyd Stevenson at his residence in the 400 block of B Street in Ashland. A search warrant at the home turned up more than five pounds of methamphetamine, three ounces of cocaine, and five firearms. Stevenson, a convicted felon, was lodged on drug possession and firearm charges.

In a separate case on Aug. 12, MADGE investigators conducted a traffic stop on 45-year-old Juan Flores-Gutierrez. The stop led to the discovery of two pounds of methamphetamine. A subsequent search of his residence in the 1200 block of West 8th Street in Medford uncovered an additional 32 pounds of meth. Officials said his arrest followed a multi-year investigation into drug trafficking between Southern California and the Medford area.

MADGE is a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force that works to identify and dismantle local, multi-state, and international drug trafficking operations. The team is supported by the Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program, a federally sponsored initiative that provides funding and coordination for regional drug enforcement efforts.

The task force includes members from the Medford Police Department, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Eagle Point Police Department, Oregon State Police, the District Attorney’s Office, Parole and Probation, the Assistant U.S. Attorney’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and the FBI.

All suspects are believed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law