8 arrested at alleged base for white supremacists

PORTLAND — Multnomah County authorities made eight arrests at what they say is a known gathering place for white supremacist gangs.

Sheriff’s Lt. Steve Alexander says Wednesday’s raid of a triplex on East Burnside Road capped a months-long drug and weapons investigation.

He says a SWAT team used flash bang devices and tear gas in the raid that started at 3 a.m.

Investigators seized drug paraphernalia and six firearms — three semi-automatic weapons, two revolvers and a rifle.

The eight people taken into custody included six men and two women and ranged in age from 22 to 48. Most were charged with probation and parole violations, though some were charged with crimes such as theft, meth possession, being a felon in possession of a firearm and failure to register as a sex offender.