DEA pledges more support to fight drugs in Southern Oregon, Wyden and Ivens say

Published 4:00 pm Thursday, November 16, 2023

Southern Oregon law enforcement will no longer have to “go on a scavenger hunt” for more agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration after it agreed to provide more of them, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden said in a news conference Thursday.

The Oregon Democrat said he and Medford police Chief Justin Ivens learned the news after a phone call with DEA Administrator Anne Milgram.

“We just finished what I thought was a very productive meeting with Ms. Milgram and have some news to report that ought to make us feel like we’re moving in the right direction,” Wyden said.

Their announcement followed roundtable discussions in Medford last month calling for more DEA presence in the region to combat hard drugs, including fentanyl. It was a meeting still fresh in Wyden’s mind Thursday.

“I walked into a big group of local folks who are just very frustrated,” Wyden said. “With respect to the federal side, there was not much there, there. Now, we’ve got some really strong efforts underway.”

The senator’s announcement also followed a drug bust announced Tuesday in Grants Pass that resulted in the arrest of 24 people and the seizure of 37 guns, along with 11 pounds of fentanyl, 40 pounds of methamphetamine and three pounds of cocaine.

Wyden said the arrests are an indication the DEA is hearing the message from local law enforcement and from those in the halls of Congress that more agents are needed in the southern part of the state.

“Effective immediately — and you saw it yesterday — we’re getting more federal help and hours of law enforcement than we had three weeks ago,” Wyden said. “That’s what the administrator is committing to.”

Ivens said Milgram told him that the DEA is committed to providing additional agents, but Ivens didn’t know how many that would be.

“Time will tell,” he said. “But again, to be on the radar — and Southern Oregon is on the forefront of their minds now – is great. Right now, that’s all I can ask for and we truly appreciate it.”

Wyden said details about the agency’s plans, including how many agents it would provide, will be announced later.

The DEA did not say in a prepared statement Thursday how many more agents would help Southern Oregon — or the number of staff currently at its office on Crater Lake Avenue in Medford. The DEA instead described the meeting with Ivens and Wyden as “productive” and added “we are deeply committed to our work together to combat drug trafficking in Southern Oregon.”

Wyden did, however, describe the current conversations with the DEA as putting the region “on a path to a permanent, productive partnership.” That includes more agency personnel who can be on standby for emergency situations as well as more direct lines of communication between the agency and Southern Oregon law enforcement.

Ivens expects that the DEA will respond when his agency asks for help.

“My commander and my supervisors of our drug team now know that if they need assistance from the DEA, they know they can pick up the phone; they know who they can call,” Ivens said. “I’m confident that if we reach out and ask for assistance, they’re going to make that happen. That’s truly what this is all about.”

Wyden pledged that he and Ivens would continue to speak with one another to ensure the DEA follows through on its commitment.

“Like any progress report, you got a lot of follow-up to do, and we’re working through the relationship between the DEA and the local law enforcement,” Wyden said. “I am convinced we’re going to get it right. There’s an awful lot more to be done when it comes to stemming drug trafficking in the southern part of the state.”