Fernando Adolip Cruz-Lerma, Drug Trafficking, Oregon 2026

PORTLAND, Ore.—In a shocking turn of events, Fernando Adolip Cruz-Lerma, a 25-year-old Mexican National, pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and distribute narcotics in and around Portland after being extradited from Canada.

According to court documents, in April and May 2019, Cruz-Lerma conspired with others to engage in drug trafficking. In April, Cruz-Lerma transported a victim from the state of Washington to Clackamas County due to a drug debt that the victim owed to members of the drug trafficking conspiracy. The victim was killed by members of the drug trafficking conspiracy in furtherance of the conspiracy. Cruz-Lerma assisted with leaving the victim’s body along a rural road in Clackamas County after the victim had been killed.

In May 2019, Cruz-Lerma distributed approximately two pounds of methamphetamine.

Cruz-Lerma faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of $10 million. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years of imprisonment and five years of supervised release. He will be sentenced on July 8, 2026, before a U.S. district court judge.

As part of the plea agreement, Cruz-Lerma has agreed to pay restitution in full. Marcos Alonso Castillo-Bernal has previously been sentenced as part of this investigation.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Portland Police Bureau, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, and the Clackamas County Interagency Task Force (CCITF). The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon is prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with Canadian authorities to secure the arrest and July 2024 extradition of Cruz-Lerma from Canada.

CCITF, led by the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, works to disrupt and dismantle drug trafficking organizations operating in and around Clackamas County, and reduce illegal drugs and related crimes throughout the community. The task force is comprised of members from the Canby Police Department, Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, Oregon State Police, the FBI, and the Oregon National Guard Counterdrug Task Force. CCITF is supported by our community with the passage of the Public Safety Levy and grant funding from the Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the federal government to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Fernando Adolip Cruz-Lerma, 25, Defendant’s full name

Conspiring to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute controlled substances and to use a communication facility and distribution of methamphetamine, Criminal charges

PORTLAND, Ore., City and state

April and May 2019, Crime date

Maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of $10 million, Sentence or outcome

July 8, 2026, Sentencing date

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