Two people have been indicted on money laundering and marijuana-related charges following a drug task force raid on an allegedly illegal marijuana operation on Philpott Road.
They are the first charges filed after local and regional law enforcement spent months uncovering and destroying local marijuana operations, some of which had hundreds of millions of dollars in product on site.
On Thursday, Oct. 28, the Klamath County Grand Jury returned indictments against Perla Zochitl Diaz-Santiago and Nathan Freeman. Both were charged with money laundering, unlawful manufacture of marijuana, conspiracy to commit the unlawful manufacture of marijuana, and unlawful possession of marijuana or hemp by a person 21 years of age or older. All four charges are felonies.
Charges stem from an investigation by the Basin Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team, which executed warrants on Sept. 14 at the Philpott Road property. Investigators uncovered 132 greenhouses that contained approximately 51,480 marijuana plants. The plants and other illegal materials on site were seized and destroyed.
A BINET investigation claims Diaz-Santiago, who attempted to hide on the property during the execution of a search warrant, served a managerial role in the operation. Additional investigation by detectives determined Freeman to be involved in the operation via financial investment and supervision of the illegal grow.
Arrest warrants have been issued for both Diaz-Santiago and Freeman, the release said. The whereabouts of both defendants is currently unknown.
In two separate amended secret indictments filed with the Klamath County Circuit Court, it is alleged that Diaz-Santiago and Freeman knew “that the property involved in a financial transaction … involves the proceeds of unlawful activity, with the intent to promote the carrying on of unlawful activity.”
The three marijuana-related charges were brought based on evidence collected at the site. The evidence indicated Diaz-Santiago and Freeman allegedly conspired to operate an unlicensed cannabis operation, according to court documents.
“This type of operation has a particularly pernicious impact on our community as it deprives our farmers of our already scarce water resources,” said Klamath County District Attorney Eve Costello. “Further the organized nature of these criminal enterprises brings with it a significant increase in collateral criminal activities and violence. These illegal operations will not be tolerated by the Klamath County District Attorney’s Office and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Recent Comments