Five charged with heroin dealing in death of former West Salem High School student

Article author: 
Statesman Journal
Article publisher: 
StatesmanJournal.com
Article date: 
Friday, May 4, 2012
Article category: 
Crime
Medium
Article Body: 

Five Mexican citizens today face heroin distribution charges that resulted in the April 16 death of a Keizer woman, federal prosecutors announced late this morning.

The five: Sergio Quezada Lopez, 33, Braulio Acosta Mendoza, 34, Jose Romo Gonzalez, 22, Jose Aldan Soto, 30, and Julian Hernandez Castillo, 31.

All five defendants are citizens of Mexico and are currently the subjects of Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers on their custody status.

Lopez is scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge John Acosta today at 1:30 p.m. in federal court in Portland, Amanda Marshall, U. S. Attorney for the District of Oregon said in a prepared news release.

The federal arraignments of the remaining defendants are likely to be scheduled in the near future, Marshall said.

Laurin Putnam, 21, was found dead at her residence in Keizer from an apparent heroin overdose. In four days following her death, investigators made numerous arrests and conducted searches in Washington County, Multnomah County, Marion County, and Vancouver, Wash. Authorities seized more than four pounds of heroin and methamphetamine and cocaine, two guns, and more than $20,000 in cash, authorities said.

In addition to heroin distribution, the five face conspiracy to distribute heroin resulting in death, Marshall said.

Those who have a previous felony drug conviction and are convicted of conspiracy to distribute heroin resulting in death face a minimum prison term of life with no possibility of release, and up to a $20 million fine. For those who have no prior felony drug conviction the minimum term is 20 years and up to a $10 million fine.

Keizer Police Chief Marc Adams said in the prepared statement that Putnam’s was the fourth heroin overdose death in Keizer this year.

DEA Special Agent in Charge Matthew G. Barnes said the investigation followed the heroin supply chain from the victim’s arm to the doorstep of an out of state source of supply.

Also involved in the investigation were Keizer and Salem, police, the Marion County Sheriff’s, Oregon State Police; the Washington County Interagency Narcotics Team (WIN); the Portland Police Bureau; the Clark-Skamania Drug Task Force; the Oregon Department of Justice; and, the Portland based Highway Interdiction Team.