Two Honduran men charged with fentanyl trafficking in Oregon

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Two Honduran men who have been unlawfully living in Oregon appeared in federal court on Monday, where they are facing drug trafficking charges.

Omar Rodriguez-Salgado, 28, and Cesar Antonio Gutierrez-Doblado, 19, were each detained on Sept. 18 in separate cases. Both are charged with possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, according to court documents.

According to court documents obtained by KOIN 6 News, Rodriguez was seen leaving a known meeting place in Portland for people involved in the drug trade. When law enforcement initially attempted to pull him over, he failed to comply.

Eventually, when police were able to stop him, they found a backpack containing 29 individually wrapped bags of suspected fentanyl, multiple packaging baggies, rubber bands, and a digital scale. The bags of fentanyl amounted to a combined 274.4 grams.

Officers also recovered 3 cell phones. Rodriguez said one of the phones was his personal device, and the other two were work phones.

The same day, during an illicit fentanyl enforcement mission focused in East Portland, an undercover officer texted Gutierrez and made arrangements to buy half an ounce of fentanyl. Gutierrez sent the officer an address to meet at.

Portland police had been conducting surveillance at a nearby location when Gutierrez was observed getting into a vehicle and driving to the site where he arranged to meet the undercover officer. When he arrived, he was arrested

Gutierrez consented to a vehicle search and agreed to answer questions. He also consented to a search of his apartment with a canine.

Police found 42.7 grams of fentanyl on Gutierrez, and 8.3 grams of fentanyl in the center console of his car. In the backseat of the vehicle, they also found 572.8 grams in four baggies in an Apple Store bag, according to charging documents.

Inside his apartment, investigators also recovered 2,401.6 grams of suspected fentanyl and $85,365, along with scales and equipment for processing fentanyl.

Overall, investigators seized 3,025.4 grams of a white powdered substance suspected to be fentanyl from Gutierrez.

Both men are currently detained and set to be arraigned Oct. 22.