A cartel flooded an Oregon town with drugs. Here's how authorities nabbed the ringleader

Article subtitle: 
A deported felon, Victor Alvarez Farfan, kept slipping back across the border, linking the Portland area and a powerful drug cartel.
Article author: 
Beth Warren
Article publisher: 
USA Today
Article date: 
Tuesday, February 27, 2024
Article category: 
Oregon Issues
Medium
Article Body: 

SEASIDE, Ore. – This tranquil coastal town is known for its wide beaches and grand promenade ― and for becoming a target for drug traffickers peddling meth supplied by a Mexican super cartel.

Drug dealers may not have worried about being caught here, in Clatsop County, a 90-minute drive northwest from the bustling city of Portland.

But they didn't know about dogged sheriff's detective John Walker, who developed informants and bought drugs while undercover. FBI agents lauded Walker's work, which helped the Bureau and Homeland Security Investigations expose an . . .