Prineville woman arrested on charges of trafficking in fentanyl; fake oxycodone pills seized

Stopped on Hwy. 26 between Madras and Prineville; DHS called in to care for toddler

PRINEVILLE, Ore. (KTVZ) – Central Oregon drug agents said Monday they recently pulled over and arrested a Prineville woman on charges of trafficking in large quantities of fentanyl. They said a search of her car found a large amount of counterfeit oxycodone tablets that can be deadly and are “linked to an ongoing overdose epidemic in the region.”

The Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team concluded a long-term investigation with the 26-year-old woman’s arrest around 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 13. Sergeant Kent Vander Kamp said the CODE Team “continues to pursue sources of fentanyl that have been flooding the region.”

Vander Kamp told NewsChannel 21 the announcement of the arrest was delayed due to a need for "some follow-up investigation."

Their investigation found that the woman has been importing large quantities of fentanyl pills from the Portland area to Central Oregon, for distribution primarily in the Prineville area, he said,

After a surveillance operation over several days throughout the Portland area, CODE Team detectives, assisted by Oregon State Police, stopped the woman’s car on Highway 26 between Madras and Prineville, Vander Kamp said.

She was detained with a male passenger, who Vander Kamp said was not involved, and a toddler. The passenger was later released without being charged and Oregon DHS-Child Welfare was brought in to care for the child.

Based on the results of their investigation, CODE Team detectives sought and obtained a search warrant for the woman’s home and car, the sergeant said.

A search of the car turned up a “commercial quantity” of counterfeit oxycodone tablets made of fentanyl and also seized “a large amount of currency,” Vander Kamp said.

The woman was lodged in the Crook County jail on drug possession, manufacture and attempted distribution charges, as well as first-degree child neglect.

The CODE Team also provided the following statement from Crook County District Attorney Kari Hathorn: “My office supports a public safety surge to address the alarming increase in the availability of these fentanyl-laced fake pills. It is the Crook County District Attorney’s Office goal to work with our law enforcement partners and the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team to protect the safety and health of our Crook County community from the harm, crime and overdoses driven by these criminal drug networks.”