Federal Charges Filed after Southern Oregon Traffic Stop Nets Cache of Fentanyl
A suspected drug trafficker is facing federal charges after he was caught by Southern Oregon law enforcement transporting more than 100 pounds of fentanyl on US Highway 97 near Collier Memorial Park.
The US Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon reports 20-year-old Jothan Paul Barrios-Chable of Portland has been charged by criminal complaint with Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl.
According to court documents, investigators from Medford Area Drug and Gang Enforcement (MADGE) and US Homeland Security Investigations in Medford located Barrios-Chable traveling north on Highway 97 through Klamath Falls on November 8th. A Medford Police Department K-9 officer stopped his vehicle just south of the state park.
Detectives searched the suspect's vehicle and located two suitcases, a backpack and a small satchel. Each suitcase contained approximately 20 heat-sealed kilogram bricks of a narcotic later confirmed to be fentanyl. The backpack contained seven additional bricks of fentanyl and the satchel contained a loaded semi-automatic pistol. The heat-sealed bricks contained approximately 117 pounds of fentanyl.
Barrios-Chable made his first appearance in federal court this week before a US Magistrate Judge. He was ordered detained pending further court proceedings.
MADGE is a gang and narcotics enforcement team comprised of local, state and federal investigators who work together to dismantle drug trafficking and other criminal organizations operating in and around Jackson County.
