PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Two men are facing federal charges after reportedly running a drug trafficking organization that made and distributed hundreds of thousands of counterfeit Oxycodone pills with fentanyl in the Portland metro area, according to the Oregon Department of Justice.
Authorities say 61-year-old James Dunn Jr. of Milwaukie, Oregon and 50-year-old Joshua Clay Wilfong of Vancouver, Wash. were charged by criminal complaint for allegedly conspiring to manufacture, distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.
With the help of informants, the men were arrested on Wednesday as investigators say they followed the men to the Owl’s Nest bar near Jantzen Beach for a transaction of more than 300,00 fentanyl pills before moving in to make the arrest.
A representative for the bar was not available to interview but an employee told KOIN 6 the two were “regulars” there.
In May 2021, authorities began investigating the drug trafficking organization allegedly run by the men, according to court documents.
Officials say the investigation found Dunn bought fentanyl from Mexico and smuggled it into the United States to use in counterfeit pills. Dun allegedly gave the fentanyl to Wilfong who made the pills in a makeshift lab in a Vancouver storage unit.
In the storage unit, investigators found a pill press and other lab equipment covered in what they suspect is fentanyl powder, officials said. Authorities also say the men sold hundreds of thousands of the pills in single transactions – selling an average of 10,000 pills per week.
On Thursday, Dunn and Wilfong made their first court appearances and were ordered to be detained as a flight risk and danger to the community, authorities said. The men are set to be arraigned November 10.
It is not clear if anyone else was involved in the suspected trafficking.
Steve Mygrant, a member of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon, urged Oregonians to be on alert with the surge of fentanyl pills in the area.
“Communities across our state are experiencing a deadly surge of fentanyl pills. We urge all Oregonians to be on alert, warn your friends and loved ones about this threat, and look out for people most vulnerable to prescription drug abuse, especially teens and young adults,” Mygrant said in a statement.
Authorities note that fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is between 80 to 100 times more powerful than morphine and 30 to 50 times more powerful than heroin. The Oregon DOJ adds that 3 milligrams of the drug is enough to kill an average adult male. Officials pointed out that the availability of fentanyl in Oregon has caused a spike in overdose deaths in the state.
If you or someone you know suffers from addiction, substance abuse resources are available through Lines for Life at 1-800-923-4357 or visit www.linesforlife.org. You can also text “RecoveryNow” to 839863 from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Pacific Time daily.