Raids send two to jail, upend medical marijuana club

Raids send two to jail, upend medical marijuana club »Play Video
Curtis Shimmin and Austin Mullins

EUGENE, Ore. - A narcotics task force searched a medical marijuana club in Eugene and four other addresses in Lane and Douglas counties last Thursday, arresting two men on various marijuana charges.

Curtis Shimmin, 54, was arrested and lodged at the Lane County jail on charges of Tampering with Evidence, Unlawful Possession of Marijuana, Unlawful Delivery of Marijuana, Unlawful Manufacturing of Marijuana and Money Laundering.

Austin Mullins, 23, was arrested and lodged at the Lane County jail on criminal charges of Unlawful Possession of Marijuana, Unlawful Delivery of Marijuana, and Unlawful Manufacturing of Marijuana.

The Lane County Interagency Narcotics Team executed search warrants at the Kannabosm medical marijuana club on West 11th and two other Eugene addresses downtown and on Highway 99 in the Trainsong area.

Police also searched addresses in Winston and Umpqua.

The raid left employees and customers at Kannabosm in shock - and the facility in disarray.

"Everything was in line with the state laws. All of our paperwork was in order. None of that was even checked," said Eric Chavez, Kannabosm manager. "They basically just came in to shut us down, no questions asked. We are just left to pick up the peices."

Shimmin is listed as the club's owner in corporate filings with the Oregon Secretary of State's Office. Shimmin declined to be interviewed by KVAL News.

The search warrants and arrests were part of several month long investigation into the illegal manufacturing and sales of marijuana, marijuana products and by-products, and money laundering, the Lane County Sheriff's Office said.

Law enforcmenet officers seized several pounds of processed bulk marijuana, numerous packages of marijuana and hashish packaged for sale, numerous packages of food and beverage products suspected of containing marijuana derivatives also packaged for sale, 105 growing marijuana plants from three of the locations weighing more than 400 pounds along with additional evidence of possible distribution and money laundering. 

In a press release, the task force did not detail at which locations the items were seized.

At the Kannabosm club on W. 11th, the search left the storefront in tatters.

The Kannabosm club is asking patients to write letters to their lawmakers about how the raid affected them.

"The intent of this club was to provide safe access for people to come and get medicine rather than have to go get it on the streets," Chavez said.

"When the store wasn't open, I had to go find my meds somewhere else," said patient Adam Wing, "and for me personally I went straight to the street."

The Lane County Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team is comprised of personnel from the Oregon State Police, Lane County Sheriff’s Office, Eugene Police Department, Springfield Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Lane County District Attorney's Office. 

The federal Drug Enforcement Administration and the Douglas County Interagency Narcotics Team (DINT) assisted.