C.O. drug agents arrest alleged Bend cocaine trafficker in La Pine Hwy. 97 traffic stop

La PINE, Ore. (KTVZ) – Central Oregon drug agents pulled over and arrested a Bend man on Highway 97 in La Pine early Monday morning, accused of importing cocaine from Southern California and distributing it in Central Oregon.

Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team detectives had identified the 35-year-old man as a cocaine trafficker in the region, Sergeant Kent Vander Kamp said.

After a multi-state surveillance operation, CODE Team detectives sought and obtained a search warrant for the suspect and his Chevy Silverado pickup truck, which was pulled over in a traffic stop around 12:20 a.m. on Highway 97 at Finley Butte Road.

CODE Team detectives, Oregon State Police troopers and Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies seized a “commercial quantity” of cocaine, Vander Kamp said.

The suspected trafficker was booked into the county jail in Bend on charges of unlawful possession of cocaine and attempted delivery of a controlled substance.

Vander Kamp said a “commercial quantity” is defined by statute as 10 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine. "This is not a separate criminal charge, but rather an increase in the sentencing guidelines," he added.