Summary: Thanks to a tip from community residents concerned about drug activity in their neighborhood and following an extensive investigation, members of the Portland Police Bureau were able to seize thousands of pounds of marijuana and make significant arrests at 5 locations in the Portland Metropolitan area. On August 3, 2011, the Police Bureau's Drugs and Vice Division served five search warrants as part of an investigation into a Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO) operated by Chinese Nationals. The Portland Police Bureau was assisted in this investigation by the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office. The investigation revealed that marijuana was being cultivated in several grow houses in the Portland Metro area then being distributed throughout the region. Three of these grow houses were specifically renovated to accommodate large-scale marijuana grows and were not occupied by any residents. This operation has no connection to medical marijuana and the D-T-O was strictly a FOR PROFIT operation. During this investigation, officers learned that in some of the grow houses, power was being diverted directly from the power poles into the houses to run the network of transformers, lights and filtration systems. This power diversion presents a clear and present danger to the neighborhood as a substantial fire hazard. Investigators believe that nearly 8 thousand dollars per month of electrical usage was being stolen by this power diversion. Evidence of sophisticated marijuana growing operations was found at residences located at 11847 Southeast Powell Boulevard, 7330 Southeast 118th Drive, and 30221 Southeast Eagle Creek Road in Clackamas. At the three grow houses, investigators seized an estimated 2 thousand marijuana plants along with growing equipment, power transformers, and packaging materials designed to ship processed marijuana. The estimated street value of the seized marijuana exceeds 2 million dollars The two other locations searched were at 1155 Southeast 148th Avenue and 7424 Southeast Clay Street in Portland. These locations were not used as grow houses but were the residences of the two suspects involved in this investigation. 45-year-old De Bin Zhen and 51-year-old Fujiu Chen were arrested and charged with multiple felony drug charges in connection with this investigation. Both will be booked into the Multnomah County Jail. These arrests conclude the investigation and the case now moves to the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office for prosecution. This investigation was prompted by community concerns, and each year the Police Bureau receives numerous complaints about marijuana grow houses and associated odor, foot and vehicle traffic and violence. These things affect neighborhood livability and the Police Bureau is committed to addressing these concerns. The violence associated with grow houses is of particular concern as thieves are committing home-invasion robberies to steal marijuana and cash from growers. Community members with concerns about drug houses in their neighborhoods are encouraged to call the Drugs and Vice Division at 503-823-3784 or visit www.portlandpolice.com to file on online Drug and Vice complaint.
