A three-day drug enforcement operation across Clackamas and Marion counties has ended with more than 110,000 illegal marijuana plants pulled from the ground, 86 firearms seized, and 55 workers found living without running water, electricity, or proper shelter at the grow sites. Detectives also recovered $11,500 in cash and more than 81,000 pounds of bulk marijuana, with the total haul estimated at $20 million.
Two Separate Probes Merge Into One
According to Oregon State Police, the operation targeted a suspected drug trafficking organization responsible for several illegal marijuana grows spanning the two counties. The case came together only after detectives realized they were working the same suspects from two different directions: as reported by KGW, separate investigations launched by the Oregon State Police and the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office task force were both quietly probing the exact same network. Detectives served search warrants at six locations across the two counties once the overlap was discovered.
Jaimee Virrueta-Gomez, 35, of Gerber, California, was arrested during the operation and booked on charges of Unlawful Manufacture of a Marijuana Item and Unlawful Possession of a Marijuana Item. The report notes that investigators plan to refer additional charges to district attorneys in both Marion and Clackamas counties as the probe continues.
Workers Found Without Power, Water, or Shelter
Responding officers found 55 workers living and working in hazardous conditions without running water, plumbing, electricity, or proper shelter, prompting investigators to assess whether forced labor, fraud, or coercion were involved. Crisis service groups including Safety Compass and the Anti-Trafficking Project stepped in to provide emergency housing and food to those workers.
Several county and state agencies assisted in the investigation, according to iHeartRadio, which describes environmental crimes related to water use, pesticide and fertilizer runoff, and unlawful solid waste disposal. The outlet also details the structure of the lead county task force, the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office Interagency Task Force, which includes personnel from the Canby Police Department, the sheriff's office itself, Oregon State Police, the FBI, and the Oregon National Guard Counterdrug Task Force.
Regional Task Forces and Federal Agents Joined the Sweep
The scale of the takedown required backup well beyond local deputies. KGW reports that the operation pulled in multiple regional drug task forces, including Westside Interagency Narcotics, Rogue Area Drug Enforcement, Douglas County Interagency Narcotics, and Medford Area Drug and Gang Enforcement teams, alongside the FBI and DEA.
Much of this enforcement capacity traces back to state funding. Some service providers received funding from the Illegal Marijuana Market Enforcement Grant Program (Oregon.gov). InvestigateWest reports on $46 million in spending related to efforts against black-market cannabis, though the same outlet notes that state officials acknowledge how difficult it remains to measure whether the black market is actually shrinking.
What Happens After Harvest
Illicit Oregon grows like these put attention on what happens after harvest. Recent airport seizures have involved black-market cannabis shipments. Hoodline has previously tracked bulk cannabis seizures at Portland International Airport, where Port of Portland Police and TSA screeners flagged a 53-pound luggage haul on July 16, 2026, along with separate near-30- and 38-pound seizures.
The investigation remains ongoing, and it is not yet clear whether additional suspects beyond Virrueta-Gomez will face charges, or what victim assistance providers will ultimately conclude about the conditions the 55 workers were found in. The extent of environmental damage from illegal water use and chemical runoff at the six search warrant sites is also still being assessed by regulators.
