Police in Coos County, Oregon, arrested the owner of a zoo after finding $1.6 million, 44 guns and multiple narcotics at his facility.

The Coos County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday said personnel from multiple agencies found 80 grams of methamphetamines at the West Coast Game Park Safari in Bandon while executing a search warrant on May 15.

A subsequent search turned up 8 grams of cocaine; 44 guns, including one modified to act as a machine gun; and $1.6 million split among cash, cashier’s checks, certificates and bonds, the sheriff’s office said.

The Bandon Police Department arrested zoo owner Brian Tenney on Tuesday, the sheriff’s office said.

Mr. Tenney, 52, is charged with manufacturing, possessing and attempting to distribute the meth.

The zoo opened in 1968 under the ownership of Mr. Tenney’s parents. He took over the zoo in 2009, according to the facility’s now-defunct website.

Upon Mr. Tenney’s arrest, the Oregon State Police seized 310 animals, which were relocated to sanctuary and rescue facilities, Salem’s Statesman Journal reported.

Prior to the zoo’s closure, the U.S. Department of Agriculture wrote up citations of the West Coast Game Park Safari dozens of times in the past year. 

In the most recent inspection on April 22, USDA officials noted that two lions and a leopard, suffering decreased muscle mass, “have not been evaluated or treated by the attending veterinarian to diagnose any dietary insufficiency, diseases or injuries accounting for the loss of body condition. … Each dealer or exhibitor must have a mechanism of direct and frequent communication with the attending veterinarian so that  timely and accurate information on problems of animal health, behavior and well-being is conveyed.”

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.