07/28/08 Tumalo
A 21 year old Tumalo man is arrested in connection with what authorities are calling the largest indoor marijuana growing operation discovered in Central Oregon. A Bend man and Portland man have also been arrested.
On July 22nd, 2008 at approximately 12:13AM, Detectives from the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team, along with members of the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and Oregon State Police, executed a search warrant on the property located at 19100 Couch Market Road in Tumalo. This is the residence of Nathaniel Jon Lancaster. The search warrant was applied for after detectives followed up on numerous citizen tips that a large marijuana cultivation operation was being conducted in an outbuilding on the property. While conducting surveillance of the residence, detectives contacted its occupants and were able to confirm there was a marijuana cultivation operation located in the barn on the property. The property contained a two-story ranch style home, a large garage, a hay shed, an outbuilding, and a large horse/livestock barn.
On Friday July 25, the Deschutes County Grand Jury indicted 32 year old Mathew Ray Seaton of Portland in connection with the marijuana growing operation. Detecctives also arrested 25 year old Jordan Patrick Gilmore of Bend. Seaton is charged with manufacturing and possessing marijuana, and attempted aggravated theft in the first degree. Gilmore is charged with manufacturing and possessing marijuana and frequenting a place where drugs are kept or sold.
(Gilmore) 
(Seaton)
After detectives discovered the large marijuana cultivation operation located in a barn on the property, they worked throughout the night on Monday conducting the labor-intensive task of dismantling the operation. The barn had been altered by adding additional rooms and electrical infrastructure to accommodate a large marijuana grow operation with the potential to grow thousands of plants. Among the items seized as evidence from the property were 642 marijuana plants in various stages of growth, thousands of dollars worth of marijuana cultivation equipment, and a generator worth $30,000.00 that was stolen from a construction company in Washington State. The generator was concealed inside a large enclosed cargo trailer and was to be used to provide the enormous amount of electrical power that would be needed to sustain the operation when it became fully operational.
If the 642 marijuana plants had reached maturity, been harvested, and then sold on the street, the wholesale value would have exceeded 1.5 million dollars with a retail value of over 2.8 million dollars. This is the largest indoor marijuana grow that has been dismantled in the Central Oregon area. No guns or cash were located.
Nathanial Lancaster was arrested and charged with the below mentioned crimes. The investigation is continuing and additional arrests are anticipated in this case in the future.
Nathaniel Lancaster was lodged at the Deschutes County Jail. He was charged with aggravated theft in the 1st degree, the unlawful possession, delivery, and manufacture of marijuana, frequenting a place where drugs are used, and conspiracy to commit the unlawful possession, delivery, and manufacture of marijuana.
