Man Living Illegally in Oregon Caught with 43 Pounds of Fentanyl and Heroin

A Mexican national living illegally in Salem appeared in court this week, charged with trafficking more than 43 pounds of fentanyl and heroin in Oregon.

Gildardo Rivera Garcia (45), charged with possession and distribution of heroin and fentanyl, was ordered detained pending further investigations when he appeared in the Portland federal court on Tuesday.

Garcia’s home was searched on July 27 by a multi-agency team of officers investigating drug trafficking and a fatal fentanyl overdose. During a search of the property, investigators seized 32 pounds of fentanyl, 11 pounds of heroin, cash, and an automated money counter.

The drug trafficking team consisted of members from Westside Interagency Narcotics (WIN), the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The prosecutor in the case is Scott M. Kerin, Assistant U.S. Attorney for Oregon.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is up to 100 times more powerful than morphine and up to 50 times more powerful than heroin. A few grains are sufficient to kill an average adult male.