U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams has announced charges against six individuals for their roles in two vast conspiracies to traffic marijuana grown in Portland to Texas, Virginia and Florida. According to a superseding indictment, Jody Tremayne Wafer, 29, Trent Lamar Knight, 30, and Brittany Lesanta Kizzee, 28, of Houston, Texas; and Raleigh Dragon Lau, 33, and Paul Eugene Thomas, 38, of Portland, are accused of conspiring to manufacture marijuana in Portland, and distributing it in Texas and Virginia. Wafer, Knight and Kizzee had previously been charged with kidnapping and firearms offenses in December 2017. Thomas had previously been charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm in December 2017. In a separate indictment, Cole William Griffiths, 30, of Hood River, Oregon, is accused of conspiring to manufacture marijuana in Hood River and shipping it to Florida. Drug proceeds, in the form of bulk U.S. currency, were returned to Oregon via U.S. mail and passenger luggage on commercial airlines. Based on court documents, Federal authorities have seized approximately 11,000 marijuana plants, 546 pounds of processed marijuana, more than $2.8 million in cash, 51 firearms, 26 vehicles, trailers, and pieces of heavy equipment, and a yacht, and have alleged three houses used as marijuana grow sites are subject to forfeiture, all since August 2017. All six defendants are charged with conspiring to manufacture, possess with intent to distribute, and distribute marijuana, and to maintaining drug-involved premises. Other charges include manufacturing and distributing marijuana, money laundering, interfering with commerce by threats and violence, kidnapping, using a firearm during a crime of violence and drug trafficking crime, and felon in possession of a firearm. Griffiths made an initial appearance in federal court on August 24, 2018 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Youlee Yim You and pleaded not guilty. He was released pending trial. A four-day jury trial is scheduled for October 23, 2018 before U.S. District Court Judge Marco A. Hernandez. The five remaining defendants are expected to make their first appearances at various times over the next three weeks. As part of this same investigation, the U.S. has also filed a parallel civil complaint alleging that three pieces of real estate in Portland and Lake Oswego are subject to forfeiture because they were used to grow some of the marijuana related to these charges. The three properties are valued at a total of roughly $1.7 million.
