The Magnificent Seven
Grants Pass, OREGON — Police took into custody seven people after finding substantial quantities of methamphetamine and heroin in a suburban residence on Wednesday. Five of the seven suspects have been identified and charged.
The Josephine County District Attorney’s office charged Christopher Wilson as a felon in possession of a firearm. Brian Rising, Emily Toledo, and Ashley Bolen all shared misdemeanor drug possession charges. Police also held Bolen on charges of burglary and criminal trespass out of Jackson County, and arrested Joshua McFadden violation of a probation detainer in Jackson County.
The arresting officers discovered meth and heroin stock, scales, packaging materials, cash, and other related items indicating an active drug enterprise based from the home. Police also seized firearms at the location, and safely shut down a hazardous marijuana oil extraction lab.
The lab was hazardous because of the relatively volatile nature of the extraction process. Though the same results can be replicated with other methods, in the case at Cloverlawn Drive, Butane was used to reduce THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) from marijuana leaves and stems and turn it into a viscous resin that can be consumed in a number of ways. Usually referred to as ‘Honey Oil’, this resin is of particular interest to consumers because of its potency, which lands somewhere between a THC concentration of 70 percent to 90 percent.
However, the danger involved with creating this product in homemade labs is a continual problem in the world of illegal drugs. Butane gas has a flash point of -76 degrees, Fahrenheit. Even drawing on a cigarette near these fumes could cause an instantaneous explosion, a risk made even steeper by the fact that the gas is both colorless and odorless. Children are often the unwitting victims of burns from such accidental explosions, which also puts surrounding structures and foliage at risk.
The raided home off Cloverlawn Drive is located in a relatively rural neighborhood, surrounded by houses and trees. A butane explosion could lead to a rapidly spreading fire that might potentially put hundreds of people in harm’s way. According to detectives, several ounces of THC extract, or BHO (Butane Honey Oil) were manufactured within the residence. Wilson was also arrested for possession of BHO.
This investigation commenced following an arrest made earlier in the week, when police patrol examined a suspicious vehicle and detained a suspect inside.
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“An arrest was made of an individual that was in possession of heroin and a firearm,” said Lieutenant Todd Moran. “The RADE (Rogue Area Drug Enforcement) team took that, worked it backwards to where the residence was and where the supply of heroin was coming from.”
Lieutenant Moran also indicated that complaints from neighbors, such as Leon Stansfield, had alerted RADE to a potential problem with that particular residence for a few years.
“A lot of people seemed to have moved in and moved out over the time that we’ve been here,” Stansfield said. “That home seems to be rat infested and we’ve had rat infestations in our place from there and other neighbors around us have also had rats show up in their place and that’s a problem.”
Neighbor Cathy Gray also added her voice to the concern over the property’s condition.
“This house should be condemned,” she said. “And it has been, it doesn’t fit in with the rest of the neighborhood.”
Ultimately, according to Lieutenant Moran, the property’s landlord will make the final call on whether or not the house is condemned or remains available as a rental.
These seven arrests are a microcosm of the larger drug problem plaguing the Rogue Valley and surrounding areas. In 2016, NBC5 News found that drug arrests have nearly doubled in the last decade, after reviewing statistics provided by the Medford Police Department. This massive increase is due, in part, to the fact that heroin has gained popularity in the region, coming out neck and neck with its equally destructive cousin, meth.
Medford Deputy Chief Brett Johnson responded with a lack of surprise: “The drug trafficking organizations that were moving meth at such large quantities, they have the logistics in place to move meth, it’s just adding to the load when you move heroin. So I think they’ve been pretty opportunistic to use heroin to get folks addicted, and to create a new drug trade that’s pretty prevalent right now.”
Since 2016, heroin remains problematic for local communities. There is hope of reducing this threat each time a successful drug bust is executed. For now, police hope for convictions that could take drug runners off the streets.
