On April 27, 2023, at about 09:44 A.M., an Oregon State Trooper stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation on Interstate 5, headed northbound, just north of Market St in Salem.
The Trooper observed several signs of criminal activity and asked the driver if there were any drugs in the vehicle.
The driver admitted there was a small amount of cocaine near the center console.
The Trooper located approximately 11.5 pounds of powder fentanyl, 4 pounds of methamphetamine, 1,000 suspected fentanyl pills, and the user amount of cocaine the driver admitted to.
To put this into perspective, 11.5 pounds of powder Fentanyl would provide roughly 3.5 million lethal doses of Fentanyl to the Portland Metro Area- which has a population of approximately 1.8 million people. The yellow, green, blue, and pink powders can be used to make the substance more appealing to youth.
Because of fentanyl’s strength there are growing concerns about fentanyl exposure for first responders and others who might be potentially exposed. It is important now more than ever to take appropriate precautions when fentanyl might be present.
The driver was interviewed by DEA Agents and taken into federal custody pending federal charges.
The passenger was lodged at the Marion County Juvenile Detention Center on related drug charges.
Federal Charges Filed Against Washington State Man Caught Trafficking Fentanyl Powder and Methamphetamine
PORTLAND, Ore.—A Bothell, Washington man is facing federal drug charges after he was caught transporting large quantities of fentanyl powder and methamphetamine on Interstate 5 in Marion County, Oregon.
Edilio Abimael Giron-Rodas, 34, has been charged by criminal complaint with possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine.
According to court documents, at approximately 9:45am on April 27, 2023, an Oregon State Police (OSP) trooper conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle traveling north on Interstate 5 in Marion County. After Giron-Rodas, the driver, consented to a search of the vehicle, the trooper found large quantities of suspected powdered fentanyl, counterfeit oxycodone pills, and methamphetamine in several shopping bags on the backseat of the vehicle. Field tests later confirmed the bags contained approximately 11½ pounds of powdered fentanyl, 1,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, four pounds of methamphetamine, and a small quantity of cocaine.
Giron-Rodas made his first appearance in federal court today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie F. Beckerman. He was ordered detained pending further court proceedings.
This case was investigated by OSP and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. It is being prosecuted by Scott M. Kerin, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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