A multiagency narcotics operation centered on Grants Pass ended this month with what authorities say was a massive haul of drugs, cash and guns, including a MAC-10, after a traffic stop and a string of search warrants in Wolf Creek, Oregon, and Corning, California. Investigators say the work by the Rogue Area Drug Enforcement team and federal partners cut off a key supply line into Josephine County and landed four people in custody.
Multiagency Team Executed The Raids
On Wednesday, April 8, investigators stopped a vehicle, then followed up in the days that followed with three residential search warrants in Wolf Creek and one in Corning, according to a post from the Oregon State Police. Agencies involved included the Rogue Area Drug Enforcement (RADE) team, the DEA Medford office, Oregon State Police SWAT and Major Crimes units, Grants Pass police, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and the California Highway Patrol.
Seizures And Arrests
The traffic stop on Marshall Clifford De La Garza, 39, turned up about 90 pounds of methamphetamine, investigators said, and searches tied to the same probe uncovered more narcotics and weapons. At a Corning residence linked to Jesus Fernando Vega, 53, authorities reported seizing roughly 58 additional pounds of meth, about 6 kilograms of cocaine, $227,752 in cash, a stolen pistol, a revolver, a hunting rifle and a MAC-10 style machine gun. Three Wolf Creek residents — Johnny Dean Davis Jr., 43, Daniel Cody Green, 44, and Stephen Ray Higgins, 56 — were booked at the Josephine County Jail on racketeering and drug charges, and Vega was lodged in Corning, according to the Oregon State Police.
Supply Route And Task Force Context
RADE operates as a multijurisdictional task force backed by the Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program, with a mission that centers on disrupting multi-state supply chains, per the city’s RADE overview. Officials say recent activity in and around Grants Pass fits a broader pattern. Earlier this year, a DEA-assisted operation tied to local task forces pulled in nearly 40 pounds of meth in the region, underscoring how investigators are tracking drug flows along the Interstate 5 corridor. Reporting from the Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program highlights the scale of the interstate trafficking these task forces are trying to dismantle.
Charges And What Comes Next
According to a news release from the Oregon State Police, the three Wolf Creek suspects face allegations that include racketeering, delivery of methamphetamine and possession, while Vega was booked in Corning on related offenses. Prosecutors and investigators said the case remains active and that no further details were available at the time of the agency’s statement. As with all criminal cases, the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in court.
Look Ahead
Authorities say coordination across agencies, along with tips from residents, remains critical to breaking up trafficking networks that feed local drug markets. For more information on the RADE task force and how to report suspected drug activity, officials point people to the Rogue Area Drug Enforcement page maintained by the City of Grants Pass and to the agency’s online updates.
