Gresham pair arrested in Hwy. 97 drug bust

La PINE, Ore. (KTVZ) – A traffic stop on Highway 97 just south of La Pine early Thursday morning led to the discovery of more than two pounds of methamphetamine hidden in a car, as well as heroin, and the arrest of two Gresham residents, Central Oregon drug agents said.

Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team detectives, assisted by Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies, stopped a gray Dodge Challenger with two occupants around 12:45 a.m. at Highway 97 and Jackpine Loop, Lt. Ken Mannix said.

The driver a 36-year-old Gresham man, and a 23-year-old Gresham woman who was the passenger were stopped and arrested as they returned to the county, he said.

Mannix said the pair’s arrest resulted from a long-term investigation by the CODE Team into heroin and methamphetamine trafficking by the suspects into the Deschutes County area for an extended period of time.

Investigators determined the man acquired commercial quantities of narcotics outside of the region and sold them here for a profit, Mannix said.

A search of the car turned up about 2.2 pounds of meth, concealed in various locations around the car and inside personal belongings, the lieutenant said. Other items found during the search included user amounts of heroin, cash, scales, packaging material and a handgun concealed in a backpack but readily accessible.

Both were lodged in the county jail in Bend on drug charges. The man also is charged with felon in possession of a firearm and a fugitive arrest warrant.