Two arrested in attempt to elude and drug bust in Bend
By Mindy Gould on Tuesday, January 2nd, 2024 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News More Top Stories
Bend(Released from Central Oregon Drug Enforcement (CODE)) -Arrested: Andrew Scott Giordano, 48-year-old Bend resident
Charges: Unlawful delivery of a schedule II-controlled substance, Unlawful possession of a schedule II-controlled substance, Unlawful delivery of methamphetamine, and Unlawful possession of methamphetamine, Commercial drug offense, Attempt to elude police in a vehicle
Arrested: Eric Wayne Reinwald, 47-year-old Bend resident
Charges: Unlawful delivery of a schedule II-controlled substance, Unlawful possession of a schedule II-controlled substance, Unlawful delivery of methamphetamine, and Unlawful possession of methamphetamine, Commercial drug offense
This was the result of a longer-term investigation by the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team and was concluded with a vehicle pursuit that ended in a crash, two arrests, and search warrants being executed on a vehicle and a residence.
At approximately 2235 hours on Dec. 28, the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team, in collaboration with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, attempted to make a traffic stop on a gray Volkswagen Taos in the area of Smith Rock Way and NE 33rd St. in Redmond. The vehicle did not yield to police officers and attempted to elude police. A short pursuit occurred, and the eluding vehicle appeared to hit a bump in the road, going off the roadway in the area of NE 33rd St. and Oneil Hwy, striking some rocks and debris and getting stuck. There were two people in the vehicle. The driver, Andrew Scott Giordano, and passenger Eric Wayne Reinwald, who were both taken into custody. Neither was injured in the crash.
Drug agents applied for and were granted search warrants for the vehicle, items from the vehicle, and Giordano’s residence located in the 20000 block of Kirstin Ct. in Bend.
Agents served the search warrants and located commercial quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine in and around the vehicle, as well as packaging material, cash and items related to the distribution of illegal narcotics at Giordano’s residence.
Giordano and Reinwald were transporting commercial quantities of both fentanyl and methamphetamine in the Central Oregon area.
Giordano and Reinwald were lodged at the Deschutes County Adult Jail on the above listed charges. Additional charges may be filed in this case as the investigation is ongoing.
Criminal complaints contain only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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 CODE team is a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force that identifies, disrupts, and dismantles local, multi-state, and international drug trafficking organizations using an intelligence-driven, multi-agency prosecutor-supported approach. CODE is supported by the Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) which is composed of members from the Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program.
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 CODE.
