An Arizona woman faces federal charges after she was arrested earlier this month for trafficking about 45,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl and several pounds of bulk heroin on Interstate 5 near Salem. increase.
Nancy Garcia, 47, of Yuma County, Arizona, was charged in federal court with possession of fentanyl and heroin for the purpose of distributing them.
Garcia was stopped by Oregon State Police officers on Interstate 5 on January 16, according to court documents. a saintly figure in folk Catholicism and Mexican Neopaganism Some believe it offers protection to drug traffickers.
Garcia initially told officers he was traveling to Seattle, but later admitted he was planning to spend a week in Portland. Troopers searched Garcia’s car and reportedly found over 10 pounds of counterfeit oxycodone tablets containing fentanyl and 5.5 pounds of bulk heroin in a bag on the floor behind the driver’s seat.
Troopers arrested Garcia and took the drugs to a law enforcement laboratory for further evaluation.
Garcia appeared in federal court for the first time on January 18, before federal magistrate Yuri im You. She was ordered to be held in custody pending further court proceedings. The case is being jointly investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and her OSP. Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Oregon District, Paul T. Maloney, is prosecuting.
Clackamas County, like much of the state, is in the midst of a fentanyl crisis. This is evidenced by the surge in powerful and potentially fatal opioid overdoses over the past two years.
Hospitalizations for opioid overdose across the state increased 18% from 2021 to 2022, and hospitalizations related to fentanyl and other synthetic opioids more than doubled. Oregon currently ranks first for prescription opioid abuse and last for access to treatment, with 1 in 5 of her Oregonians needing treatment but not receiving it.
Fentanyl, a synthetic opiate found in counterfeit prescription drugs, is estimated to be 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. Even small amounts can cause death.
Last year, federal officials made what was believed to be Largest fentanyl bust in state history In the parking lot of the Oregon City Home Depot in Clackamas County, a sting operation seized approximately 150,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills made with fentanyl and approximately 20 pounds of fentanyl powder.
