A Washington state fugitive and a Bend transient were arrested by Central Oregon Drug Enforcement (CODE) detectives for allegedly trafficking fentanyl into the Central Oregon area.
On February 11th, 2023, at approximately 11:00 p.m., CODE, in collaboration with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Street Crime Unit, concluded a long-term investigation and interstate surveillance operation with the arrest of a 45-year-old man from Bellingham, Washington, and a 45-year-old woman from the Bend area.
During a series of concurrent investigations, drug Agents identified the man as a fentanyl trafficker in the central Oregon area. The initial investigation alleges he has been importing large quantities of fentanyl pills from the central California area into central Oregon, where he distributes it primarily in the Deschutes County area. The suspect also had an outstanding nationwide arrest warrant for escape from the Washington State Department of Corrections after being convicted of unlawful firearm possession.
After a multi-day surveillance operation throughout California and Oregon, CODE Detectives, with the assistance of Deschutes County Sheriff Deputies and Detectives, Bend Police Officers stopped a vehicle with the couple inside on Highway 97 at the Crescent Cutoff Rd, in Crescent, an unincorporated community in Klamath County as they sat inside a parked car.
The man recently eluded Bend Police Officers and has a history of eluding law enforcement. Based on his dangerous driving history, it was decided to stop him while parked, where law enforcement officers conducted a high-risk stop.
Afterward, CODE narcotics detection K9 “Bonnie” was deployed and alerted her handler to the presence of a controlled substance. K9 “Bonnie” is only one of two K9s in central Oregon trained and certified in detecting fentanyl, in addition to other controlled substances. Based on the investigation, CODE Detectives applied for and obtained a Search Warrant for his car, where police located a commercial quantity of counterfeit Oxycodone tablets made of fentanyl and fentanyl powders, drug paraphernalia, and several prohibited weapons. These counterfeit tablets have been linked to an ongoing overdose epidemic in Central Oregon and contain fentanyl and can be deadly to an unsuspecting user.
