STATE'S REPORT SAYS ORGANIZED CRIME SHIFTS TO DRUG TRADE

Investigations Drain Time And Resources From Local Police

Criminal activity in Oregon is changing popular perceptions of
organized crime as international drug rings producing and dealing
marijuana and importing methamphetamine continue to sap law
enforcement resources.

In releasing the first statewide report about organized crime,
Oregon Attorney General Hardy Myers said the image of well-dressed
mobsters is out-dated and too simplistic when describing organized crime.

"When we talk of organized crime in Oregon, the image is of the
Mafia," Myers said. "But we define organized crime as individuals
joining together for a common purpose, which is typically profit."

The report highlights the infiltration of Mexican-national drug
gangs who are growing, transporting and selling marijuana throughout
the state and are transporting methamphetamine from Mexico.

State and local law enforcement officials have noticed a steep
decline in methamphetamine labs located in the state and attribute
it to the restricted availability of ingredients used to make the drug.

"The whole meth issue is organized crime," said Lt. Bill Kohlmeyer
of the Salem Police Department. "The small-time user labs are not as
common since the drug has become a high-dollar business."

The sprawling nature of the drug organizations means that any
investigation would be unwieldy, requiring time and resources few
local agencies have.

"The whole drug trade drives most of what our police department
responds to," Kohlmeyer said. "And in order to deal with them, it
takes a lot of time and a lot of resources. And in the meantime,
other crime is going on, houses are getting broken into; it's a huge battle."

Kohlmeyer said the drug problem has caused people to remove guard
rails from roads and steal mail for drug money.

Myers said he anticipated the report raising awareness throughout
the state about the impact of organized crime.

He said increased communication among law enforcement agencies is
needed to combat the problem. Often, many smaller crimes committed
by a single organization are not detected as part of a larger
conspiracy, he said.

Myers also said that criminals are being aided by technology, which
assists in cloaking computer and phone communications, security and
counter-surveillance.

The report highlighted several operations uncovered in recent years
in rural and urban areas alike. More than half of the 121
drug-trafficking organizations identified by local law enforcement
agencies in 2005 were based in Oregon and were Caucasian-led. The
majority of the rest were led by Hispanics or had ties to Mexico. In
2004, local law enforcement was aware of 84 drug organizations.

Earlier this year, the Salem Police Department arrested more than 30
Mexican nationals suspected of being involved in a drug organization
that transported heroin and cocaine. At least 30 people have pleaded
guilty on charges stemming from that investigation, including four
who were convicted of racketeering.

Myers said criminal organizations also are operating in prisons,
online and in local ethnic communities. Motorcycle gangs and street
gangs have increased in recent years, identity theft is frequently a
team operation with mail thieves, forgers and passers.

In addition to white extremist gangs, Asian gangs and Hispanic
gangs, at least 10 groups made up of people with ties to former
republics of the Soviet Union are reported to be operating in Oregon.

The report says that the groups mainly are involved in white-collar
crimes such as identity theft, cigarette-tax evasion and insurance fraud.

Additional information about these groups, which primarily operate
in the Portland and Woodburn areas, are limited because of a lack of
resources to investigate them further, officials said.