Madras traffic stop, drug-detection K-9 ‘Marley’ find 14 lbs. of fentanyl powder; 2 Arizona men arrested

MADRAS, Ore. (KTVZ) – Marley, an Oregon State Police drug-detection K-9, turned up more than 14 pounds of hidden fentanyl powder during a traffic stop on Highway 97 in Madras last week, leading to the arrest of two Arizona men, troopers said Tuesday.

An OSP trooper stopped a vehicle on Highway 97 shortly after 10 p.m. last Wednesday for an unspecified traffic violation, the agency said.

During the stop, the trooper developed reasonable suspicion for drug trafficking, and Marley alerted to the presence of narcotics.

A search of the vehicle revealed six hidden bundles, weighing about 14 ½ pounds. OSP said a preliminary test showed it was fentanyl powder.

The driver, a 31-year-old Phoenix man, and the passenger, a 31-year-old Tucson man, were lodged in the Jefferson County Jail for various drug crimes, troopers said, adding that the investigation is ongoing and no further information is being released.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (https://www.dea.gov/resources/facts-about-fentanyl), one kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill about 500,000 people.

OSP troopers were assisted during the investigation by detectives from the OSP-Criminal Investigations Division-Drug Enforcement Section (Domestic Highway Enforcement Initiative) and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The Oregon State Police-Domestic Highway Enforcement Initiative is supported by the Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA).

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, including the OSP-DHE Initiative.