Fentanyl Trafficking Ring Busted in Portland

PORTLAND, Ore.— In a major blow to the fentanyl trafficking trade in the Pacific Northwest, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a three-count indictment charging Juan Jose Varela-Espinoza, 31, a Honduran national unlawfully residing in Portland, with conspiracy to possess and possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

According to court documents, in July 2023, the Multnomah County Dangerous Drug Team (DDT) learned that Varela-Espinoza was distributing thousands of fentanyl pills in Portland.

On July 25, 2023, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) requested assistance from Multnomah County DDT with locating and arresting Varela-Espinoza on an outstanding felony warrant for distributing dangerous drugs in Colorado. The same day, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant on Varela-Espinoza’s residence and vehicles. Investigators arrested Varela-Espinoza and seized nearly 16 pounds of powdered fentanyl, 57,700 fentanyl pills, $5,042 in cash, a stolen firearm, ammunition, and two pill press machines.

Varela-Espinoza pleaded guilty to possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute on December 10, 2024, and was subsequently sentenced to 120 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release.

The Multnomah County DDT is supported by the Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) and is composed of members from the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, Multnomah County Parole and Probation, Gresham Police Department, the FBI, and USMS.

The Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates with and provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement initiatives.

Varela-Espinoza, a Honduran national unlawfully residing in Portland, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for possessing nearly 16 pounds of powdered fentanyl, 57,700 fentanyl pills, and a stolen firearm.

The case was investigated by the Multnomah County DDT and was prosecuted by Kemp L. Strickland, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

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