An Oregon State Police trooper found 12 pounds of suspected fentanyl pills during a traffic stop Wednesday evening, Nov. 16, on Interstate 5 northbound near milepost 227 south of Albany.
According to a news release, at 10:30 p.m., an OSP trooper pulled 22-year-old Jose Manuel Gonzalez Obeso over for failure to drive within his lane. Obeso was accompanied by 18-year-old Carla Joanna Castillo Arce. Both occupants were from Scottsdale, Ariz.
During the stop, the trooper observed signs of criminal activity and requested and received consent to search. Five large plastic bags of the suspected pills were discovered in the trunk.
Both Obeso and Arce were released after being interviewed, and charges will be referred to the United States Attorney’s Office.
The Oregon State Police were assisted during the investigation by detectives from the OSP-Criminal Investigations Division-Drug Enforcement Section (Domestic Highway Enforcement Initiative), Special Agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration – Salem Resident Office, and the United States Attorney’s Office – District of Oregon – Portland Office.
The Oregon State PoliceDomestic Highway Enforcement Initiative is supported by the Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), 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, including the OSP-DHE Initiative.