The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office said a Street Crime Unit (SCU) investigation led to the seizure of 6,000 fentanyl pills and a half-pound of powdered fentanyl. Two people were arrested Monday.
The sheriff’s office said SCU had been looking at 41-year-old Jose Miguel Gomez as it investigated fentanyl coming from the Portland area and distributed throughout Central Oregon.
Detectives attempted to arrest Gomez in June, but police say he was able to flee the scene. SCU detectives say they were granted a search warrant for Gomez’s vehicle after the failed arrest in which they found the fentanyl pills and powder hidden and marked for sale.
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According to the sheriff’s office, Gomez used drug runners centralized in the Hunnell Road area of Bend to distribute the drugs throughout Deschutes County. Gomez would allegedly then purchase fentanyl from a Honduran Drug Trafficking Organization in Portland.
After the detectives seized the drugs, they say Gomez fled Deschutes County. After a few weeks of investigating, detectives say they located Gomez and arrested him along with another man once he returned to the area. The detectives also say Gomez possessed fentanyl and suspected methamphetamine during the arrest.
Deschutes County Circuit Court records show Gomez was sentenced in February to 90 days in jail after pleading guilty to unlawful possession of a controlled substance.
The other suspect, identified as 38-year-old transient Henry Oswaldo Duran, was arrested on a parole violation.
