Oregon State Patrol Sees Record Number Of Drug Busts in 2011 (Slide Show)
The Oregon State Patrol saw a record number of drug busts and seizures of illegal drugs in 2011, and set records for the amounts of drugs confiscated.
In 2008, the Oregon State Patrol Drug Enforcement Section (DES) saw an astounding 150 percent increase in the number of drug busts (involving marijuana, cocaine, heroin and meth), that number rose another 30 percent in 2011, resulting in record numbers for arrests, and amounts of drugs seized.
Heroin was the number one killer among the illegal drugs, taking the lives of 147 people, meth killed 107 people, and cocaine 33. That means 274 people in Oregon last year were directly killed by illegal drugs. 2012 is off to a fast start as well, already six major drug busts have been carried out. Last year OSP seized nearly 430 pounds of coke, meth and heroin alone; add in over 2,600 lbs. of marijuana and that's one and a half tons of illegal drugs. The number of people killed was the highest since 2000.
This anti-drug activity included breaking up the largest marijuana growing operation found in Oregon History, in the Wallowa National Forest. Authorities say 2012 shows signs of being nearly as busy, and they plan to increase their efforts to stem the tide of drugs coming into, or being produced, in Oregon. This slide show depicts some of the biggest seizures of illegal drugs, and shows just a small part of the extensive multi-acre Wallowa marijuana growing operation, that was complete with it's own 'irrigation system' with pipes, pumps and controls!