Department of Justice News

John Kroger, Attorney General, writes: "As you know, protecting public safety is my highest priority as Attorney General. That is why I am happy to report a major success in keeping dangerous drugs off our streets. Last week  we unveiled Operation Corridor Express, the largest state drug trafficking and racketeering investigation in recent Oregon history. This operation has resulted in 34 drug trafficking and racketeering indictments and dismantled a major drug trafficking ring in Clackamas and Washington Counties. This group supplied drugs up and down the I-5 corridor from Vancouver to Eugene. As part of the investigation, we seized more than 22 kilograms of cocaine and ten firearms. Interestingly, this case began with a single tip in a small marijuana case.  Instead of making a single arrest, state, local and federal law enforcement personnel obtained court-authorized wiretaps and executed more than one dozen search warrants in a coordinated effort to identify the source of the drugs. 

As Attorney General of Oregon, I intend to continue to target large-scale drug rings in our state. As part of this effort, I have partnered with Oregon's sheriffs, police chiefs, and district attorneys to fight for federal stimulus money to protect our public safety budgets. These funds will be used to put more cops on the street, more patrols on the road in rural communities and more prosecutors in Oregon's courtrooms. With government budgets shrinking in Salem and around the state, these funds will help us maintain public safety.  

If you have thoughts about how we can best protect public safety, please let us know 

Sincerely, John R. Kroger, Attorney General of Oregon