PORTLAND, Oregon — An Arizona woman faces federal charges of trafficking nearly 45,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl and several pounds of bulk heroin on Interstate 5 near Salem, Oregon. is being asked.
Nancy Garcia, 47, of Yuma County, Arizona, has been criminally charged with possessing fentanyl and heroin for the purpose of distributing them.
On January 16, 2023, Oregon State Police (OSP) officers stopped the vehicle Garcia was driving as it traveled north on Interstate 5 near Salem, according to court documents. Troopers identify Garcia as the sole occupant of the vehicle and confirm that she is traveling with a statue of Santa Muerte.
Garcia first told Trooper that she was traveling to Seattle, but later said she was planning to travel to Portland and stay for a week. Troopers legally searched Garcia’s car and found counterfeit oxycodone tablets weighing over 10 pounds containing fentanyl and 5.5 pounds of bulk heroin on the floor behind the driver’s seat. The drug was taken to law enforcement laboratories.
On January 18, 2023, Garcia appeared in federal court for the first time, 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 US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the OSP. Indicted by Paul T. Maloney, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Oregon District.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation of a crime and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
