News

Jun 21, 2023

Deputies serve warrant, make arrest at Eugene hash oil lab

Lane County Sherriff's deputies said they discovered an illegal butane hash oil operation along with psilocybin mushrooms, volatile chemicals and unpermitted electrical work while serving a search

Lane County Sherriff's deputies said they discovered an illegal butane hash oil operation along with psilocybin mushrooms, volatile chemicals and unpermitted electrical work while serving a search warrant Monday on a property in unincorporated Lane County.

Deputies said they discovered 60 to 80 pounds of sale-ready butane hash oil, a concentrated cannabis product that has higher percentages of psychoactive compounds than conventional marijuana, in shop and shipping containers that had been converted into outbuildings on the 29800 block of Kelso Street.

More than 4,000 pounds of marijuana and 700 large grow bags of psilocybin mushrooms also were discovered, according to sheriff's spokesperson Sgt. Tom Speldrich. Mushroom spores are placed in the grow bag which retains moisture, creating a miniature habitat for fungus to thrive and grow.

The combination of strong chemicals and poor electrical work present in most illicit labs make the operations a serious hazard, according to the release.

Brandon Dylan Whitmer, 47, was on the property when the search warrant was served was taken into custody, officers said. He was arraigned Tuesday afternoon on charges of unlawful manufacturing a marijuana item and unlawful possession of a marijuana item. For an individual over the age of 21, it is illegal to possess over a quarter ounce of cannabis concentrate from an unlicensed dealer.

Whitmer had a warrant in neighboring Linn County for arson connected to a 2021 explosion of an illegal drug operation, the sheriff's office said. He also was injured in a Eugene hash oil lab explosion in August 2021.

Charles Gearing is a breaking news reporter with the Eugene Register-Guard. He may be reached at [email protected] or at (708)262-7626.