Seven armed Hispanic males were arrested Sunday on public land burned in the Squires Peak Fire of 2002, said Jackson County Sheriff Mike Winters. The sheriff withheld the suspects’ names and charges late Sunday while the case remained under investigation. Officials anticipated more arrests in connection with the drug operation, Winters said.

A deer hunter on Sunday morning reportedly stumbled into a reforested area where several hundred marijuana plants were under cultivation. The hunter spied 12 armed Hispanic men and used a cell phone to call the sheriff’s department, Winters said.

"We think they saw him," Winters said.

Deputies with Jackson and Josephine counties, Oregon State Police and officials with the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service converged on the area at about 11 a.m., Winters said. After a search encompassing approximately 1 square mile, the suspects were taken into custody at about 4 p.m., Winters said.

Officers seized 11 firearms, mostly high-powered rifles. One of the seized weapons had been reported stolen in a sheriff’s department burglary case, Winters said. Approximately 45 law enforcement personnel, including immigration officials, were involved, Winters added.

"These types of marijuana grows are very dangerous," Winters said.

Anyone who sees marijuana plants growing on forest land should avoid confrontation with anyone in the area, leave immediately and call 9-1-1, Winters said.