Southern Oregon marijuana harvest

In this 2015 Oregonian file photo, a machine automates the marijuana trimming process in Southern Oregon. A man flying 230 pounds of weed from Oregon to Texas was arrested this week by federal agents after they noticed he was following an unusual flight pattern after departing Medford.

(Beth Nakamura/Staff)

A man flying 230 pounds of marijuana out of Oregon was arrested in Texas after the Department of Homeland Security began tracking him because of his suspicious flight patterns, multiple media report.

Federal agents arrested Wayne Douglas Brunet, 64, at Llano Municipal Airport after midnight Monday. Fifteen duffel bags full of marijuana and $6,000 in cash were recovered at the scene.

He reportedly fled on arrival, tossing the duffel bag and a cell phone in the grass before agents caught him on the tarmac, according to KOBI, the NBC affiliate in Medford.

Brunet's first stop after departing Oregon was in Holbrook, Arizona.

Soon afterward, authorities noticed Brunet's reportedly dubious flight pattern. Agents then traveled to intercept him at an airport in Bulverde, Texas, where he was scheduled to land.

When Brunet arrived, he saw authorities waiting and took off again. He aborted another landing in Lago Vista before arriving at Llano Municipal.

The 64-year-old faces federal drug charges that could amount to between five and 40 years in prison. Brunet is in federal custody and has a hearing scheduled in Austin, Texas on Thursday.

--Eder Campuzano | 503.221.4344

@edercampuzano

ecampuzano@oregonian.com