PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A Portland woman and her roommate were busted with fentanyl shortly after investigators say they took separate train rides to Portland on Amtrak.
On Oct. 7, the Drug Enforcement Agency was informed by another investigating agency that Daniela Zanetta was allegedly selling counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl and more recently powdered fentanyl.
Law enforcement officials believed Zanetta and another woman would obtain drugs in California and Arizona, then transport them to Oregon for distribution, according to an affidavit.
Using their cell phones, investigators monitored Zanetta’s and her roommate’s pinged geo-locations.
While monitoring the roommate’s whereabouts on Oct. 7, investigators noticed her pinged locations matched those of the Amtrak route traveling from southern Oregon to Portland.
The DEA responded to the Portland Union Station parking lot, where officials said they saw the roommate get in the passenger seat of an SUV.
A short pursuit ensued before the DEA Task Force Officer initiated a traffic stop.
During that stop, a Washington County K-9 detected what was later confirmed to be fentanyl powder inside the roommate’s purse. Both the roommate’s and Zanetta’s driver’s licenses were recovered.
Meanwhile, Zanetta’s geo-location was reportedly pinging Amtrak’s route near Vancouver, Wash. and was heading south toward Portland.
Investigators returned to the women’s apartment where they said Zanetta was seen in the passenger seat of an SUV circling the block.
The officer initiated another traffic stop, where Zanetta allegedly identified herself falsely as Amanda.
Once Zanetta and the driver, Zanetta’s mother, stepped out of the vehicle, two black purses were located in the passenger side footwell, according to court documents.
Inside Zanetta’s purse, investigators said they found a black plastic bag that contained more than a dozen individual lumps of compressed powder, wrapped similarly to the package found inside the roommate’s purse. Loose pills resembling counterfeit Xanax bars were also found inside a purse.
Investigators said Zanetta denied the drugs were hers and asked for a lawyer, who she subsequently called.
Officials arrested Zanetta and say they seized 318 gross grams of drugs containing fentanyl from her purse.