On August 6, 2024, the Medford Area Drug and Gang Enforcement team (MADGE) conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle traveling northbound on Interstate 5 in the Medford area as a part of an on-going investigation. During this stop, Investigators developed probable cause to seize a vehicle and subsequently served a search warrant, recovering 32 pounds of Methamphetamine and nearly 4.5 pounds of Fentanyl. The investigation is ongoing.
Then on August 8, 2024, in an unrelated case, MADGE Investigators contacted two subjects in a business parking lot in Southeast Medford as a part of an on-going investigation. During this contact a Medford Police K9 alerted on the vehicle, which was seized, and 17 pounds of Methamphetamine was located. 48-year-old Pasqual Padilla was arrested and lodged at the Jackson County jail on charges related to the distribution of a controlled substance.
These two cases showcase the hard work our drug teams are doing on a daily basis in an effort to keep our communities safe.
The MADGE team is a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force that identifies, disrupts, and dismantles local, multi-state and international drug trafficking organizations using an intelligence-driven, multi-agency prosecutor-support approach. MADGE is supported by the Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) which is compose of members from the Medford Police Department, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, the District Attorney’s Office, Parole and Probation, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the FBI.
The Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates with and provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement initiatives, including MADGE.
