Police bust large-scale illegal marijuana operation in Bend, La Pine, seizing drugs and money

Published 6:30 pm Tuesday, May 23, 2023

State, county and municipal law enforcement officers simultaneously raided five properties in Bend and La Pine on Tuesday in what authorities described as a large-scale illegal marijuana operation that sold drugs across the Midwest and eastern United States.

Officers detained and interviewed “several people” while searching the properties but made no arrests Tuesday, according to a Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office press release.

They also seized large amounts of marijuana and money and found evidence of alleged drug trafficking, financial crimes and a slew of potential environmental violations, including a leaking septic system that had seeped into the soil, authorities told The Bulletin.

Law enforcement officers are still searching for two men they described as “people of interest” in the case: Daniel Liautaud, 36, of Bend and Jackson Liautaud, 31, of La Pine. Authorities believe the two are brothers.

Sgt. Kent Vander Kamp, of the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, told The Bulletin Tuesday that authorities are waiting to conduct further arrests in the case. He said authorities are still investigating the case and gathering evidence to present to a grand jury for potential indictments.

“In order to keep our cards to our chest, we will delay arrests until we know who’s what and who’s who,” Vander Kamp said.

Authorities seized 665 pounds of processed marijuana flower and 630 plants as evidence from the properties that were raided. Vander Kamp said a single pound of marijuana can sell in locations on the east coast for about $1,000.

“That’s a lot,” Vander Kamp said of Tuesday’s seizure. “Especially when you look at the standards of what you’re allowed to have for recreational growing.”

Unlawfully manufacturing more than 12 marijuana plants is a felony in Oregon, said Andrew Doyle, a deputy district attorney with the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office.

“Six-hundred pounds is certainly not going to be consistent with personal use,” said Doyle, who handles cases investigated by the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement team.

Doyle said authorities have not yet found evidence to indicate the operation is linked to an illegal drug cartel, but noted that the investigation is ongoing. He said there have been larger regional marijuana busts, but acknowledged it’s “not the most common thing in the world to have multiple interlinked properties like this.”

Police began investigating the operation after receiving complaints and tips about a Bend man running an illegal marijuana grow on Berg Lane on the north side of Bend.

Months of surveillance ended when four regional law enforcement teams — including a SWAT team and two drug teams — searched the properties simultaneously at around 7 a.m. Tuesday. The properties were located on Northwest Newport Avenue and Berg Lane in Bend, as well as Dyke Road and Polar Drive in La Pine.

An official who assesses building code compliance for Deschutes County also took part in the investigation and reported “numerous additional building code violations,” including “dangerous electrical wiring, unpermitted electrical panels, exposed electrical wires, and unpermitted interior walls.”

During the search, police also stumbled upon a failing septic system that was “flooding” the property on Berg Lane in Bend. Authorities had to wade through the sewage.

“It was a big sloppy mess,” Vander Kamp said, adding: “It had been leaking for a long time.”

Vander Kamp noted this type of leak can contaminate waterways and wells, a health hazard that can cause diseases and is unsafe to be used in developing and selling marijuana for consumption. He said this type of sewage leak could result in additional charges.

Police are asking people with information about the Liautauds to call 541-693-9111 and reference case 23-25857 but said: “Do not attempt to arrest or detain them if seen.”