More than $20K in drugs confiscated at Bass Canyon concert
A graph of the drugs seized this past weekend at the Gorge Amphitheater. The numbers on the graphic are based on the number of grams seized of each type of drug. The amounts are according to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office.
SOURCE: GCSO/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD GRAPHIC BY NANCE BESTON
GEORGE — Over the weekend, a concert event held at the Gorge Amphitheater saw an extensive narcotics investigation led by multiple law enforcement agencies, according to a press release from the Grant County Sheriff’s Office.
“It went smoothly beside the part where the weather front came in and the show was paused which resulted in 70-mile-an-hour gusts which caused damage to the stage infrastructure and one windshield was shattered from flying debris,” GCSO Public Information Officer Kyle Foreman said.
The Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team – also known as INET – GCSO, Moses Lake Street Crimes Unit, Washington State Patrol Cannabis Eradication Team, the Law Enforcement Against Drugs Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations collaborated to address illegal drug activities at the Bass Canyon Festival held at The Gorge Amphitheater.
“The drug investigations are focused on drug trafficking amounts of drugs, instead of a personal amount of drugs,” Foreman said. “But, it’s a no-drug venue because that’s the amphitheater's policy. They sell alcohol at the venue and people can bring alcohol into the campgrounds but nothing else.”
According to the press release, concert events like Bass Canyon often attract narcotics users and distributors of illegal controlled substances. Throughout the weekend, law enforcement seized a variety of controlled substances with a street value estimated in excess of $20,000.
“If it’s fentanyl, molly, or anything big like that you are going to be subject to an investigation, which means they are probably planning on trafficking or selling,” Foreman said.
The concentrated efforts led to 15 arrests, with suspects facing 68 felony drug distribution charges following ten separate investigations.
“It is a comparable amount of arrests on weekends where drug enforcement is involved,” Foreman said.
The Gorge Amphitheater has a history of issuing a proactive stance on law enforcement presence at its concerts due to a notable illegal drug culture, according to the GCSO. This comes in response to numerous overdose incidents and a tragic shooting in 2023, where the perpetrator claimed psychedelic mushrooms influenced his actions.
Spanning 125 acres, the Gorge Campground accommodated 15,000 people over the weekend, with campsites set up close to one another.