Central Oregon Drug Enforcement (CODE) detectives arrested three Bend residents in connection to selling large quantities of fentanyl in northeast Bend. After receiving community tips, CODE detectives identified a 24-year-old Bend man as a local fentanyl trafficker.
Drug agents conducted surveillance for several weeks on his activities and allege he was selling large quantities of fentanyl in the area around the Lighthouse Navigation Center campus near NE 2nd St and Franklin Ave in Bend. The Lighthouse Navigation Center, managed by Shepherd’s House Ministries, is a 24/7 care and support facility for people experiencing homelessness in Central Oregon.
On Sunday, January 28th, 2024, CODE Detectives, with the assistance of Deschutes County Sheriff’s deputies, concluded a multi-county surveillance operation and conducted a traffic stop of a green Subaru driven by a 20-year-old Bend woman and occupied by the suspect and another man from Bend. During the traffic stop on US 97 at Eby Rd, in Terrebonne, CODE Drug Detection K9 “Bonnie” was deployed and alerted her handler to a controlled substance inside the Subaru.
CODE detectives applied for, obtained, and executed a search warrant for the car during the stop. A subsequent search of the car revealed a commercial and substantial quantity of powered fentanyl and fake pharmaceutical pills made of fentanyl.
The next morning, with evidence collected during the traffic stop, detectives applied for, obtained, and executed a search warrant for two of the suspect’s apartment at the Lighthouse Navigation Center, where additional evidence was collected with the assistance of Bend Police Officers.
CODE Detectives appreciate the assistance of the Shepherd’s House Ministries and the Lighthouse Navigation Center management and security staff during this investigation.
Evan Hendrix, from the Shepherd’s House / Lighthouse Navigation Center Management team, told CODE Sergeant Kent Vander Kamp, “We are grateful for the partnership with local law enforcement and appreciative of your support in this situation. We recognize the danger of fentanyl and its growing presence in our community. It is only through collaborative efforts such as this that we can find a way to curb this epidemic and ensure the safety of our community moving forward. Thank you for all you do to counter the flow of illicit substances into our community.”
A “commercial quantity” of fentanyl is defined by statute as five grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine. This is not a separate criminal charge but rather an increase in the sentencing guidelines.
