Police raided 20 homes and buildings in Oregon and Washington in connection with a large heroin trafficking operation that's been linked to at least two drug overdose deaths, court documents say.
At least 13 people were arrested in the raids, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said Wednesday. Court records show at least 18 people were indicted on federal possession and distribution of heroin charges.
DEA investigators have been tracking suspects since November, according the criminal complaint unsealed Thursday, making use of wiretaps and GPS tracking of cellphones.
The investigation culminated in 20 search warrants being served in Portland, Gresham, Beaverton, Vancouver and Ridgefield, Washington.
Warrants were served at the Vancouver homes of Christian Chavez-Esqueda, 27; Cipriano Andrade-Lopez, 37; and Christian Javier Llanas, 26; all were arrested Wednesday, the complaint said.
Police seized cell phones, more than $54,000 in cash and evidence of drug packaging. Llanas told investigators that $20,000 seized from his apartment was from distributing drugs and that he had sold the last of his inventory the day before, the indictment said.
At least 15 people have been accused of possessing and distributing heroin between October 2014 and February 2015, according to a federal indictment, which was unsealed Wednesday. The amounts range from at least 100 grams to more than 1 kilogram. Several names and charges were redacted from the indictment and as many as 21 people could face charges in the case, court records show.
Several of the suspects pleaded not guilty Wednesday and Thursday in U.S. District Court in Portland.
Others taken into custody include Christopher Guillen-Robles, 20; Geovany Munoz, 19; Alexis Guillen-Robles, Misraim Israel Briones Pasos, 31; Jose Luis Mamani-Vidal, Melchor Luna Rodriguez, 32; Miguel Garcia Flores, 29; Francisco Rodriguez-Esqueda, 26; Cory Allyn Jaques, 37; Mary Elizabeth Henlin, Joel Orozco-Estrada, 20; Jose Mata, 27; Jose Najar-Celis, 21; Oscar Lnu, 29; and Fabian Gonzalez-Avila, 21. They face accusations of possession of heroin, distribution of heroin and possession with intent to distribute heroin.
Jaques also stands accused of distributing oxycodone and heroin between June 2014 and August 2014, the indictment said.
Investigators linked two fatal heroin overdoses to the group: Brandon Maddox died in Salem in August 2014, and Jordan Emery died in December in Clackamas County, the complaint said.
Jose Recio-Ayon, 24, was arrested in September 2014 in connection with Maddox's death. A search of his phone turned up a cell number later determined to be used by Andrade-Lopez, the complaint said. The number for Andrade-Lopez stopped working two days after Recio-Ayon's arrest.
Recio-Ayon faces heroin and methamphetamine possession with intent to distribute charges from his September arrest. Four others were indicted that same month on similar charges: Lorenzo Inda-Lopez, Eduardo Benito-Lorenzo, Antonio Islas-Lira and Patti Noel Mendoza, court records show.
In Emery's death, police got a series of dealers to reveal their source, which led to the number of a person suspected of working for Chavez-Esqueda but hasn't been located, the complaint said.
Through other wiretaps, investigators learned Andrade-Lopez was the leader of a heroin drug trafficking operation and that he had been in Oregon and Washington since July 2014, the complaint said. They listened in on several other calls in which Chavez-Esqueda discussed supplying at least three people with a total of 20 ounces of heroin, with at least 10 ounces to be delivered to Andrade-Lopez, the indictment said.
During one call in January, Chavez-Esqueda told Andrade-Lopez that he would need 20 ounces of heroin for Briones Pasos, who was among those arrested Wednesday, and that the price was $850 per ounce, the complaint said.
During a separate conversation, another man had ordered at least 50 ounces of heroin from Christopher Guillen-Robles, the complaint said. Investigators believe the man was ordering on behalf of Llanas, because the phone he used to place the call had frequently traveled to Llanas' home almost every day for a month.
-- Everton Bailey Jr.
ebailey@oregonian.com
503-221-8343; @EvertonBailey