Drug agents arrest Prineville man arrested for fentanyl trafficking
By Mindy Gould on Saturday, July 23rd, 2022 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News Eastern/Southeast Oregon Top Stories
Prineville, OR (News Release from Central Oregon Drug Enforcement (CODE)– On July 22nd, 2022, at approximately 11:15PM, the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team concluded a short-term investigation with the arrest of Dustin Phillip Murray, age 33, of Prineville, Oregon.
During a concurrent investigation, drug Agents identified Murray as a fentanyl trafficker in the Crook County Oregon area. The initial investigation alleges Mr. Murray imported fentanyl pills from the Portland area into central Oregon where he distributes them.
During a multi-county surveillance operation, CODE Detectives applied for, obtained, and executed a search warrant. At approximately, 11:15PM, Mr. Murray was contacted during a traffic stop on Highway 126 near the Prineville airport while he was driving a Toyota Tacoma. CODE Detectives and DCSO Deputies gathered and seized a commercial quantity of fake pharmaceutical tablets made of fentanyl along with other evidence of commercial drug sales.
A “a commercial quantity” is defined by statute as five grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, or any substituted derivative of fentanyl as defined by the rules of the Oregon Board of Pharmacy. This is not a separate criminal charge, rather an increase in the sentencing guidelines.
The greater Portland area is a major transshipment hub where illegal drugs coming from the southwest border are stored in local warehouses, storage units, and residential properties. The bulk shipments of drugs are usually broken down into smaller quantities and transported to other states or distributed to local dealers. The Portland area has an international airport, interstate highways, and bus and train lines that make it easy for shipments to be smuggled to other destinations around the pacific northwest.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 107,000 people have died as a result from a drug overdose or poisoning in the U.S. Criminal drug networks in Mexico are mass-producing illicit fentanyl and fake pills pressed with fentanyl in filthy, clandestine, unregulated labs. These fake pills are designed to look like real prescription pills right down to the size, shape, color and stamping. These fake pills typically replicate real prescription opioid medications such as oxycodone (Oxycontin®, Percocet®), hydrocodone (Vicodin®), and alprazolam (Xanax®); or stimulants like amphetamines (Adderall®).
Mr. Murray was lodged in the Crook County Sheriff’s Jail with the following criminal charges.
Unlawful Possession and Attempted Distribution of a Schedule II Controlled Substance (Fentanyl)
CODE Detectives were assisted by the Crook County Sheriff’s patrol deputies.
CONTACT FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Sgt. Kent Vander Kamp, 541-550-4869 or kentv@deschutes.org
The Central Oregon Drug Enforcement (CODE) team is a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force supported by the Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program and the following Central Oregon law enforcement agencies: Bend Police Department, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Redmond Police Department, Prineville Police Department, Crook County Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Madras Police Department, Oregon State Police, Sunriver Police Department, Black Butte Police Department, United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Warm Springs Tribal Police Department, Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson County District Attorney’s, and the Oregon National Guard.
The Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates and provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement task forces to disrupt or dismantle local, multi-state and international drug trafficking organizations.
