Umatilla County drug dealer faces federal charges
By Dan Thesman on Wednesday, September 28th, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
News release from U.S. Attorney’s Office – District of Oregon
PORTLAND — A federal grand jury in Portland has returned an indictment charging an Eastern Oregon man with distributing large quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine in and around Umatilla County, Oregon.
Edain Laurel Lozano, 35, of Umatilla County, Oregon has been charged with possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents, between May and September 2022, special agents from the FBI and officers from the Blue Mountain Enforcement Narcotics Team (BENT) set up, conducted, and surveilled multiple controlled purchases of methamphetamine and fentanyl-laced pills from Lozano. Each subsequent controlled purchase involved requesting and purchasing increasing quantities of the narcotics from Lozano. By the final controlled purchase, Lozano had agreed to sell multiple pounds of methamphetamine and several thousand counterfeit pills containing fentanyl.
On September 7, 2022, Lozano was arrested and consented to a search of his vehicle. Investigators located and seized over four pounds of methamphetamine, more than 5,000 counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, drug packaging materials, a digital scale, and a stolen handgun.
On September 23, 2022, Lozano was arraigned on the indictment and pleaded not guilty. Over the government’s objection, he was released on conditions pending a three-day jury trial scheduled to begin on November 8, 2022.
If convicted, Lozano faces a maximum sentence of life in prison with a 15-year mandatory minimum, five years’ supervised release, and a $10 million fine.
This case was investigated by the FBI and BENT. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.
An indictment is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
BENT is a regional drug task force founded in 1986 by the Pendleton Police Department and Oregon State Police. In 2005, BENT was designated as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking (HIDTA) task force by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). Current BENT member agencies include the Pendleton Police Department, Oregon State Police, FBI, Morrow County Sheriff’s Office, Oregon National Guard, Boardman Police Department, Milton-Freewater Police Department, Hermiston Police Department, and Umatilla Tribal Police Department.
