PRINEVILLE, OR -- A Prineville man is accused of trafficking Fentanyl from the Portland area to the High Desert. Friday night, at about 11:15 p.m., the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team concluded a short-term investigation with the arrest of 33-year-old Dustin Phillip Murray, of Prineville.
During a concurrent investigation, drug Agents identified Murray as a fentanyl trafficker in the Crook County Oregon area. The initial investigation alleges Mr. Murray imported fentanyl pills from the Portland area into central Oregon where he distributes them.
During a multi-county surveillance operation, CODE Detectives applied for, obtained, and executed a search warrant. At approximately, 11:15PM, Mr. Murray was contacted during a traffic stop on Highway 126 near the Prineville airport while he was driving a Toyota Tacoma. CODE Detectives and DCSO Deputies gathered and seized a commercial quantity of fake pharmaceutical tablets made of fentanyl along with other evidence of commercial drug sales.
A “a commercial quantity” is defined by statute as five grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, or any substituted derivative of fentanyl as defined by the rules of the Oregon Board of Pharmacy. This is not a separate criminal charge, rather an increase in the sentencing guidelines.
The greater Portland area is a major transshipment hub where illegal drugs coming from the southwest border are stored in local warehouses, storage units, and residential properties. The bulk shipments of drugs are usually broken down into smaller quantities and transported to other states or distributed to local dealers. The Portland area has an international airport, interstate highways, and bus and train lines that make it easy for shipments to be smuggled to other destinations around the pacific northwest.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 107,000 people have died as a result from a drug overdose or poisoning in the U.S. Criminal drug networks in Mexico are mass-producing illicit fentanyl and fake pills pressed with fentanyl in filthy, clandestine, unregulated labs. These fake pills are designed to look like real prescription pills right down to the size, shape, color and stamping. These fake pills typically replicate real prescription opioid medications such as oxycodone (Oxycontin®, Percocet®), hydrocodone (Vicodin®), and alprazolam (Xanax®); or stimulants like amphetamines (Adderall®).
Mr. Murray was lodged in the Crook County Sheriff’s Jail with the following criminal charges: Unlawful Possession and Attempted Distribution of a Schedule II Controlled Substance (Fentanyl)
CODE Detectives were assisted by the Crook County Sheriff’s patrol deputies.
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