National Drug Intelligence Center   Oregon High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Drug Market Analysis 2009   April 2009

Production

Methamphetamine production in the Oregon HIDTA region has declined steadily over the past several years as a result of sustained law enforcement interdiction efforts, enhanced precursor chemical controls, increased public awareness campaigns, and the rising availability of Mexican ice methamphetamine. However, local production persists; some laboratory operators--usually Caucasian independent producers--continue to operate small-capacity methamphetamine laboratories in rural areas, producing ounce quantities of the drug. These producers typically use anhydrous ammonia (a common crop fertilizer) to produce methamphetamine; the chemical is widely available throughout the region, as it is commonly used for legitimate agricultural purposes. National Seizure System (NSS) data reveal that although laboratory seizures in the region have decreased significantly, HIDTA counties accounted for more than half of overall state totals, and more than one-third of the laboratories seized statewide were located in Umatilla County in 2008. (See Table 2.) In a study conducted by Oregon State University from 1998 through 2007 using multiple sources of data to identify counties in Oregon with high numbers of methamphetamine-related problems per capita,9 researchers found that methamphetamine laboratories or dumpsites were 11.5 times more likely to be located in Umatilla County than in any other part of the state. Methamphetamine-related spills, leaks, or other hazardous substance releases were 8.3 times more likely to be located in Umatilla County than in any other part of the state.

Source: National Seizure System, run date February 9, 2009.

The eradication of outdoor cannabis statewide and in the Oregon HIDTA region in 2008 yielded fewer plants than in previous years. (See Table 3.) Outdoor cannabis plant seizures declined 69 percent in Oregon in 2008 (76,896 plants) compared with 2007 (245,559). Likewise, outdoor cannabis plant seizures in the Oregon HIDTA counties decreased 90 percent in 2008. Law enforcement authorities eradicated 11,038 cannabis plants from outdoor grows in 2008 compared with 109,151 cannabis plants in 2007. Data from the Oregon Department of Justice indicate that the counties with the highest outdoor eradication levels were Jefferson, Douglas, Morrow, Hood River, and Yamhill,10 accounting for 70 percent of all outdoor cannabis plants eradicated in Oregon in 2008. (See Figure 2.)

Source: Oregon High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, run date January 23, 2009.

Figure 2. Outdoor Cannabis Eradication in Oregon, 2008

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Source: Oregon Department of Justice.

The Oregon HIDTA reports that numerous factors contributed to decreased cannabis eradication from 2007 through 2008, including cultivators' use of smaller, multiple grow sites to limit detection, budget cuts that have limited law enforcement resources, and inclement weather conditions. For instance, the Oregon HIDTA reports that in past years, cannabis tenders lived adjacent to or just within the grow site; however, campsites were found farther away from grow sites in 2008 than they had been in the past, making detection of cannabis grow sites based on proximity of campsites less likely. In addition, grow sites were located in more isolated areas. Law enforcement officers have difficulty locating cannabis grows in remote locations because of the limited number of airborne reconnaissance operations conducted in Oregon. Furthermore, cultivators planted cannabis later in 2008 than usual because of late season snows in April and May.

Some Mexican DTOs operating in Washington County are planting cannabis seeds that mature more quickly, enabling growers to plant and harvest marijuana crops every 90 days. (By comparison, it takes 5 to 6 months for ordinary cannabis plants to grow outdoors.) The Oregon HIDTA reports that the switch to faster-growing seeds is an attempt by cultivators to gain additional harvests each year and thus increase their profits.

Outdoor cannabis cultivation is prominent in remote, rural locations, especially on timber company lands, according to the Oregon HIDTA. These outdoor grow sites are usually controlled by Mexican DTOs and local independent criminal groups. Additionally, some Mexican DTOs plant cannabis on tribal lands, such as the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Umatilla County, sometimes working with Native Americans.

Cannabis grow sites in the Roseburg area are typically located on timber company lands, while cannabis grow sites in Jackson County are typically located on Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service lands. Grow site operators in these remote locations often contaminate and alter watersheds; divert natural water courses; eliminate native vegetation; poach protected wildlife; create wildfire hazards; and discard garbage, nonbiodegradable materials, and human waste. Moreover, the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) reports that while preparing land for cannabis cultivation, growers commonly clear the forest understory; this kind of clearing allows nonnative plants to supplant native ones, adversely affecting the ecosystem. They also terrace the land, especially in mountainous areas; this terracing often results in rapid erosion. The cost of restoring land damaged by such outdoor cultivation is significant; the National Park Service estimates that for every acre of forest planted with cannabis, 10 acres are damaged. Further, the cost to repair and restore an outdoor cultivation site is approximately $11,000 per acre.

The number of cannabis plants eradicated from indoor grow sites has also decreased statewide and in the Oregon HIDTA region. Indoor cannabis plant eradication in Oregon decreased 46 percent in 2008 (8,805 plants) compared with 2007 (16,454 plants). Indoor cannabis eradication in HIDTA counties decreased 55 percent during the same period (5,499 cannabis plants were eradicated in 2008, compared with 12,239 plants in 2007). However, the number of eradicated plants remains above 2006 levels both statewide and in the HIDTA region. (See Table 4.) Indoor cannabis eradication levels were highest in Multnomah, Deschutes, Douglas, and Clackamas Counties, accounting for approximately 56 percent (4,943 of 8,805 plants) of all indoor cannabis plants eradicated in Oregon in 2008. (See Table 4.)

Source: Oregon High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, run date January 23, 2009.

Since 2004, Asian (particularly Vietnamese) DTOs and criminal groups that typically operated smaller indoor grow sites have increasingly been establishing larger indoor cannabis cultivation operations to produce high-potency marijuana in Portland. Indoor cannabis cultivators typically establish grow sites in multiple residences, often using hydroponic technology. Indoor growers prefer this controlled environment because they believe they can avoid law enforcement detection while achieving higher profits through year-round cultivation, which allows a new crop of higher-potency marijuana to be planted and harvested every 90 days. These operations sometimes bypass electric meters to eliminate high energy-use readings, large electric bills, and subsequent possible law enforcement scrutiny. Caucasian criminal groups and independent dealers typically operate smaller indoor grows than those operated by Vietnamese groups.

Indoor cannabis grow sites pose considerable safety and health concerns for law enforcement officers, first responders, and unwitting citizens. According to law enforcement officials, buildings used for indoor grow sites are 40 times more likely to catch fire than buildings not used as grow sites. This is due to the highly flammable chemicals, fertilizers, high-intensity lighting, electrical equipment, and reconfigured electrical systems often present in structures used as grow sites. High levels of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide may also be present at indoor grow sites because of damaged exhaust systems. Moreover, the prolonged high humidity at indoor grow sites can ruin the buildings that contain them because of the growth of toxic molds. Cleanup of indoor grow operations can often be cost-prohibitive for small law enforcement departments. The cleanup requires specialized equipment such as basic air monitoring equipment, respirators, protective coveralls with attached hoods, and ultraviolet protection with the use of sunglasses, rubber gloves, and disposable boot covers.

Some illegal cannabis cultivators use the OMMP as a pretext for conducting indoor grow operations in which high-potency marijuana is produced as a remedy for specific medical conditions. Some of these individuals, who are able to obtain a medical marijuana registry identification card, are operating beyond the limits established by OMMP, which tends to complicate law enforcement investigations of indoor grow sites. According to law enforcement officials, the OMMP allows individuals with specific medical conditions to possess up to six mature cannabis plants and 24 ounces of usable marijuana.11 Many of these cultivators grow cannabis in numbers that far exceed the legal state limit. Furthermore, under OMMP the designated caregiver status allows cultivators to grow enough cannabis for multiple patients simultaneously--a status that results in cannabis grows that exceed the individual growing limits.

Crack cocaine conversion is a significant concern, especially in the urban areas of the Oregon HIDTA region, where the drug is associated with high levels of abuse, violence, and property crime. Retail-level crack cocaine distributors, primarily African Americans, convert powder cocaine to crack for distribution, typically in neighborhoods where the drug is sold. 

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Transportation

Mexican DTOs are the primary transporters of illicit drugs to the Portland area. Powder cocaine, marijuana, ice methamphetamine, and heroin are transported to the area from Mexico and California along the I-5 corridor. In addition, Asian DTOs transport high-potency marijuana and MDMA from Canada to and through Portland using Canadian Highway 99 and then I-5. Portland has direct north-to-south access (to Canada and Mexico, respectively) via I-5 and west-to-east access via I-84. These organizations typically transport the drugs in private vehicles or tractor-trailers. Various illicit drugs are smuggled through the Portland International Airport, the Port of Portland, and numerous small ports and docks along the Columbia and Willamette Rivers, but on a much smaller scale.

Mexican DTOs control most drug transportation to and from Salem. These DTOs transport heroin, ice methamphetamine, marijuana, and powder cocaine to the city from source areas in Mexico and California along I-5. Salem is a transshipment and regional distribution point for heroin and ice methamphetamine. Methamphetamine is transported through Salem to other market areas throughout the Oregon HIDTA region, and owing to high demand for the drug, it typically is not warehoused but distributed as soon as it reaches the city. In the last few years, large quantities of heroin have been warehoused in the Salem area prior to being transported to and distributed in Portland, Eugene, and Seattle, Washington. Powder cocaine is transported through Salem destined for the Portland market.

Drugs are transported to Roseburg and Medford on I-5 from Mexico through California and to Pendleton on I-84. Vietnamese DTOs transport high-potency Canadian marijuana and MDMA into these areas. Drug distributors in Pendleton, who have Canadian sources of supply, obtain their drugs from transporters en route to Boise, Idaho, on I-84 or from midlevel distributors in the Tri-Cities area (Richland, Pasco, and Kennewick) of Washington.

Mexican DTOs also transport drugs through the Oregon HIDTA region for delivery in Washington and Canada. From January 2008 through February 2009, the Oregon State Police (OSP) made five major cocaine seizures totaling more than 97 kilograms with an estimated value of $2,915,000 from vehicles traveling north along I-5. The most recent seizure took place on February 20, 2009, when OSP seized 14 kilograms of cocaine from a Washington-registered sport-utility vehicle (SUV) on I-5 south of Canyonville. The cocaine had an estimated value of $450,000.

Some DTOs and criminal groups operating in the HIDTA region also use maritime and air cargo to transport illicit drugs to the region, according to law enforcement reporting. However, the extent to which such conveyances are used by traffickers is relatively unknown because of the inherent difficulty that law enforcement officials experience in inspecting the large volume of maritime and air cargo that passes through seaports and airports in Oregon. For instance, the Port of Portland alone handled approximately 14, 415,537 short tons of cargo and approximately 245,459 containers12 during 2008, while roughly 234,668 short tons of freight passed though the Portland International Airport; more than 14 million passengers also transited the airport in 2008.

Footnotes

9. Daniel Sudakin and Laura E. Power, "Regional and temporal variation in methamphetamine-related incidents: applications of spatial and temporal scan statistics," Clinical Toxicology. The study gathered countywide data on 2,570 methamphetamine-related incidents documented by the Oregon Poison Control Center, the Oregon Narcotics Enforcement Association, the Oregon State Police Medical Examiner Division, and the Oregon Public Health Division Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance System. The statistics ran from 1998 through 2007, although each group of data did not span this entire period.
10. Jefferson, Morrow, Hood River, and Yamhill Counties are not located in the Oregon HIDTA region. In 2008, 20,865 cannabis plants were eradicated in Jefferson County from outdoor grows, 9,226 plants were eradicated in Morrow County, 7,098 in Hood River County, and 6,662 in Yamhill County.
11. For the purpose of the Oregon Medical Marijuana Plan (OMMP), mature cannabis plants are defined as "12 inches or more wide, or 12 inches or more tall, or flowering." Immature plants are defined as "less than 12 inches wide, or less than 12 inches tall, or not flowering." Usable marijuana is defined as "dried leaves or buds" and does not include the root ball, stems, or branches.
12. Containers are measured in twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), which are often used to describe the capacity of container ships and container terminals. Capacity is based on the volume of a 20-foot-long shipping container, a standard-size metal box that can be easily transferred between different modes of transportation, such as ships, trains, and trucks.

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