OSP I-5 traffic stop in Salem turns up 11.5 lbs. of powdered fentanyl, 1,000 counterfeit pills; driver, passenger arrested
SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) – A Bothell, Washington man made his first federal court appearance on drug charges in Portland on Friday, one day after an Oregon State Police trooper made a traffic stop on Interstate 5 and found large amounts of powdered fentanyl, counterfeit oxycodone pills and methamphetamine in his car.
Around 9:45 a.m. Thursday, the trooper stopped a vehicle on northbound I-5 just north of Market Street for a traffic violation, OSP said.
The trooper saw several signs of criminal activity and asked the driver, Edilio Abimael Giron-Rodas, 34, if there were any drugs in the vehicle. OSP said he admitted there was a small amount of cocaine near the center console.
The trooper found about what field tests later confirmed were 11 ½ pounds of powdered fentanyl, 1,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills and four pounds of meth in several shopping bags on the back seat of the car, along with the user amount of cocaine, OSP and the U.S. Department of Justice said.
"To put this into perspective, 11.5 pounds of powdered fentanyl would provide roughly 3.5 million lethal doses of fentanyl to the Portland metro area, which has a population of approximately 1.8 million people," OSP said in a news release. "The yellow, green, blue, and pink powders can be used to make the substance more appealing to youth.
"Because of fentanyl’s strength, there are growing concerns about fentanyl exposure for first responders and others who might be potentially exposed," troopers added. "It is important now more than ever to take appropriate precautions when fentanyl might be present."
While the driver was interviewed by U.S. Drug Enforcement agents and taken into federal custody, the passenger was lodged at the Marion County Juvenile Detention Center on related drug charges, OSP said.
Giron-Rodas was charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and meth. At Friday's hearing, U.S. Magistrate Stace Beckerman ordered him detained pending further court proceedings.
