Bend Man Arrested for Fentanyl and Methamphetamine Trafficking
On December 22nd, 2022, at approximately 12:30 PM, the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team concluded an investigation with the arrest of Jose Miguel Gomez, age 41, of Bend, Oregon.
After receiving a Crime Stoppers of Oregon tip and several community complaints, CODE detectives identified Mr. Gomez as a fentanyl and methamphetamine trafficker in the Hunnell Road homeless encampment while maintaining a residence on 20000 block of Liberty Ln, in Bend. The initial investigation alleges Mr. Gomez imported controlled substances into central Oregon, where he distributed them.
After a multi-day surveillance operation around the Bend area, CODE Detectives applied for, obtained, and executed a search warrant. At approximately 11:00 AM, Mr. Gomez was contacted during a traffic stop on Boyd Acres Rd and Cooley Rd, while riding as a passenger in an unrelated car.
Bend Police Officers attempted to detain Gomez, and he resisted. After a brief struggle, Gomez was arrested without injury.
CODE Detectives and BPD Officers gathered and seized a commercial quantity of fake pharmaceutical tablets made of fentanyl and a separate package of methamphetamine. He was also in possession of a substantial amount of cash.
A “commercial quantity” is defined by statute as five grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl or any substituted derivative of fentanyl as defined by the rules of the Oregon Board of Pharmacy. This is not a separate criminal charge but rather an increase in the sentencing guidelines.
If you or someone you know encounter any version of fentanyl, please refrain from handling it and call 911 immediately.
Opioid abuse affects communities across the nation, including Central Oregon. Provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that there were more than 107,000 fatal drug overdoses in the U.S. in 2021, an increase of nearly 15% from the previous year. Synthetic opioids (primarily fentanyl) accounted for more than three-quarters of these deaths. Drug overdose continues to be the leading cause of injury or death in the United States.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 80 to 100 times more powerful than morphine and 30 to 50 times more powerful than heroin. A 3-milligram dose of fentanyl—a few grains of the substance—is enough to kill an average adult male. The availability of illicit fentanyl in Oregon has caused a dramatic increase in overdose deaths throughout the state.
Mr. Gomez was lodged in the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Jail with the following criminal charges.
- Resisting Arrest, ORS 162.315
- Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine, ORS 475.894
- Attempted Unlawful Delivery of Methamphetamine, ORS 475.890
- Unlawful Possession of Schedule II, ORS 475.752
- Attempted Unlawful Delivery of Schedule II, ORS 475.752
He was later charged by Bend Police Department for an unrelated assault investigation. Any questions about the additional charges should be directed to the Bend Police Department.
CONTACT FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Sgt. Kent Vander Kamp, 541-550-4869 or kentv@deschutes.org
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