driver's license

Illegal drugs continue to be a major problem for the state of Oregon — the manufacture of them, the use of them, the illicit sale of them and even their transportation, according to a report from the Oregon High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program.

Between January 2008 and the end of March 2012, authorities traced nearly $10 million in drug money seizures back to Oregon.

The connection to the state was determined through certain conditions: either the vehicle used for drug transportation or the driver’s license was registered to an Oregon address.

According to the HIDTA report, 464 incidents of drug or cash seizures could be traced back to Oregon. The most common states in which said incidents occurred were California, Nebraska and Kansas.

However, when considering the pounds of marijuana heading east, four states stand out: South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Iowa.

The reason for Oregon’s high amount of seizures, authorities said, is the state’s location on a prime drug route — Interstate 5.

“Oregon sits on one of a number of major drug corridors,” said Chris Gibson, director of the Oregon HIDTA. “Drugs coming from Mexico and drug trafficking organizations are either being dropped here or distributed with portions being dropped here.”

I-5 connects Canada, Mexico and the states in between in a single vein of traffic, making it an ideal route for drug traffickers. In addition, many of Oregon’s other highways run east to other outlying states. The report cited Highways 97 and 395 as major examples.

These connecting highways, in addition to a drug demand in Oregon, make the state appealing for drug traffickers, Gibson said.

“I think Oregon has its own demand problem,” he said. “We just happen to have that distinction of sitting on I-5, which is the pipeline from Mexico both ways. It’s natural for drugs to make it up this way and then head east, but a lot of it is being left behind in the state.”

The two most frequently trafficked drugs noted by HIDTA are marijuana and controlled prescription drugs. Between the two, more than 60,000 incidents of seizures were connected to Oregon during a four-year period.

Gibson said it’s important to note that although it appears the connections point to the drugs being physically located in Oregon at some point, that’s not necessarily true.

“For instance, you could have a person from Salem who, for whatever reason, grabs a load in Idaho and takes it East,” he said. “It doesn’t necessarily connect the drugs that were being in Oregon at that point, I would say, with the exception primarily of marijuana.”

Southern Oregon continues to house a large amount of domestically-grown marijuana, Gibson said. More seizures of marijuana trafficking occurred on I-5 headed north than in any other direction or any other drug, according to the report.

Officials in Salem have a particular concern about marijuana because the drug frequently serves as a gateway into harder drugs, such as heroin, according to Lt. Dave Okada, spokesman for the Salem Police.

“A lot of it is marijuana leading to abuse of prescription drugs that leads to the heroin,” he said. “I don’t know if that has a correlation to the proximity of I-5, but our street crimes team is telling me that the vast majority of people they deal with on addiction issues say they started with marijuana.”

An Oregon State Police traffic stop north of Lakeview in 2011 led to the discovery of 50 pounds of marijuana. / Photo courtesy of Oregon State Police Read more about Report cites I-5 as major drug corridor

A traffic stop Saturday morning by Oregon State Police (OSP) troopers on Interstate 5 north of Canyonville led to the arrest of two men after the discovery of approximately 2 pounds of heroin concealed in their vehicle. Follow up investigation by OSP Drug Enforcement Section detectives and troopers also led to the arrest of a wanted person in Newberg.

On September 1, 2012 at approximately 7:09 a.m. an OSP trooper stopped a 2004 Chevrolet Impala displaying Washington license plates northbound on Interstate 5 near milepost 102 for a speed violation. The two occupants were identified as driver VICTOR HUGO BARRAGAN ALCAZAR, age 18, and passenger ARMANDO GIOVANI VALENCIA, age 18, both from Vancouver, Washington.

Subsequent investigation with the assistance of an OSP drug detection canine led to the discovery of approximately 2 pounds of heroin concealed in the car's trunk with an estimated value of $70,000.

Both men were taken into custody for Unlawful Possession and Distribution of Heroin. They were later cited and released to appear at a future date on the charges in Douglas County Circuit Court.

The investigation led OSP Drug Enforcement Section detectives and OSP troopers to Newberg. With the assistance of Newberg Police, OSP arrested ENRIQUE BOTELLO SANCHEZ, age 31, from Vancouver, Washington on September 2nd for an outstanding Fail to Appear Warrant (DUII, Resisting Arrest). Charges are pending for SANCHEZ related to the initial traffic stop and heroin seizure.

  Read more about OSP Traffic Stop Leads to Seizure of 2 lbs of Heroin, Arrests of 3 People in Douglas and Yamhill Counties

It came as no surprise to Jackson County's narcotics officers and addiction treatment specialists that the region ranks high in Oregon in meth and prescription drug abuse.

The numbers come from a report released this week by the Oregon High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program, or HIDTA.

The report noted that Jackson County has most people per capita who seek treatment for prescription medication abuse. The county also ranks second, behind Umatilla County, in the number of people per 10,000 who are treated for methamphetamine addiction.

"This number is both good and bad in the sense that people are getting into treatment and there could be a light at the end of the tunnel to their addiction," said Medford police Deputy Chief Tim Doney, who also heads the Medford Area Drug and Gang Enforcement team.

"The bad news the report brings is that it drives home that there remains a large drug problem in our community."

The report said that just more than 30 people for every 10,000 in Jackson County have sought treatment for meth addiction.

Medford police Chief Tim George said that meth continues to pour into the region despite the Legislature's efforts to limit the sales of pseudoephedrine, a primary component in meth.

"It's shocking how much meth is transported into this area," George said. "It makes you wonder about the security of our border, because most of this meth is coming here from criminal organizations based in Mexico."

The HIDTA report said the number of meth labs seized in Oregon has plummeted since the Legislature took pseudoephedrine off the counter in 2004.

The supply was quickly buttressed by cartels in Mexico, who can produce meth by the ton and ship it across the United States.

"We are on the receiving end of powder drugs here," Doney said. "But in reference to marijuana, we are a source region."

The HIDTA report backs up Doney's claim by reporting that marijuana grown in Oregon is commonly found in the Midwest and South.

A large portion of this marijuana is diverted illegally from Oregon medical marijuana gardens and sold on the black market, George said.

"Our marijuana goes across the nation," Doney said. "That's just a fact of life."

Another disturbing tidbit listed in the report is the increase in heroin use among Oregon teens.

George argues that a smokeable form of heroin, known as "gunpowder," has taken away the stigma of a drug that once was associated with needles.

"You can now smoke it and not deal with needles," George said. "We are seeing that this is particularly popular with young people."

Earlier this year MADGE seized 49 pounds of heroin at a local bus station. Oregon State Police found 55 pounds during a car stop last week on Interstate 5 near Ashland.

"Without a doubt, heroin is on the rise here locally and throughout the state," George said.

In another piece of bleak news, HIDTA reported that drug-related deaths spiked across the state in 2011, with fatalities inching up 20 percent above 2010's numbers.

In all, 240 people died of drug overdoses in Oregon in 2011.

JACKSON COUNTY AND DRUG ABUSE

Per capita comparison of drug treatment admissions per 10,000 residents by county:

Jackson County

Heroin — 20

Prescription drugs — 31

Meth — 32

Marijuana — 40

Multnomah (includes Portland)

Prescription drugs — 25

Meth — 29

Marijuana — 40

Heroin — 60

Number of illegal marijuana plants eradicated by police by county for 2011:

Jackson County

Indoor — 383

Outdoor — 2,872

Josephine County

Indoor — 794

Outdoor — 577

Deschutes County

Indoor — 357

Outdoor — 0

Douglas County

Indoor — 52

Outdoor — 86

Meth lab seizures in Oregon since 2004

2004 — 448

2005 — 192

2006 — 62

2007 — 20

2008 — 21

2009 — 13

2010 — 13

2011 — 10 (2 in Jackson County)

  Read more about Report: County is near top for drug abuse

Forget drug cartels being a Mexican problem, they have infiltrated thousands of U.S. cities and are running complex and lucrative drug operations right under our noses. After all, we are their biggest and most relied upon customer.  Using information from a report released by the U.S. Department of Justice, the National Post was able to identify the trafficking routes and bases of various Mexican drug cartels. And it may shock you just how deeply embedded they are in America.

Unsuspecting cities like Portland, Denver, Indianapolis, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Chicago, Seattle, Louisville, Memphis, Boston, Minneapolis, Dallas and so many more have a reported drug cartel presence. The gangs move heroin, marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamines to feed America’s massive drug habit, and they do so gleefully as they rake in billions of dollars in profit.

So which cartels have actually been “confirmed’ to be in America? To name a few, the Tijuana Cartel, Juarez Cartel, Gulf Cartel, Federation Cartel and numerous gangs with “unknown affiliation.”  Curiously, two of Mexico’s most powerful and ruthless cartels, the Los Zetas and the Sinaloa Cartel, are not included in the report. But make no mistake, their tentacles reach the U.S. as well.

Texas is particularly affected by the drug cartel invasion. The Gulf Cartel appears to control much of east Texas while the Juarez Cartel divides up the west. Further, the drug routes moving out of the Lone Star State and into other states are many.  “Cocaine is the most lucrative of illegal drugs. The United Nations estimates that sales of the drug net $88 billion a year on the street. While the largest federations were once Columbian, now it appears they are Mexican.          The UN estimates two-thirds of cocaine that left the Andean region of South America for the United States in 2008 passed through the hands of Mexican cartels,” the National Post reports.

This graphic from the National Post breaks down the routes visually and shows where the drug cartels are operating. It also shows the number of drug related deaths in various categories, which now totals more than 50,000 since 2006. Has your city been infiltrated?

[Link to the National Post’s illustrated maps: http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/07/13/mexican-drug-cartels-spreading-influence-graphic/]
 

Read more about Has Your City Been Infiltrated by Mexican Drug Cartels? Find Out Here

Police say two men in a possibly stolen BMW eluded officers, crashed the car, then sent police on a foot chase Saturday evening.

Salem police attempted to pull over the vehicle about 5:30 p.m. near 14th Street SE and Hines Street SE. The vehicle then took off at a highrate of speed, circled the block and crashed into a guard rail and fire hydrant, eventually stopping at 14th Street SE and Oxford Street SE, police said.

Police set up a perimeter in the area when the two occupants of the car then ran from the car. A police dog tracked the two men, who were reportedly hiding in some bushes.

After they did not respond to police orders to come out, the police dog apprehended the suspects.

The men, Jaime Carrasco, 35, of Salem and Jose Morales, 25, of Salem were arrested. They were both taken to Salem Hospital for injuries sustained from the accident and police dog, police said.

Carrasco was cited for two charges of eluding police, failing to perform the duties of a driver, failing to carry a driver’s license and reckless driving.

Morales was arrested for possession of methamphetamine, a parole violation and two bench warrants.

Police say they believe the vehicle was stolen but are still investigating the incident to confirm.
 

NOTE:  There is currently an ICE hold on Jose Morales Read more about Men crash car, arrested after foot chase in southeast Salem

The driver who struck a visually impaired children's author and later told police that she had smoked marijuana before the crash pleaded not guilty on two charges in in Marion County Circuit Court on Friday.

On May 29, Rose Litherland, 58, was driving north on 17th Street NE when she hit John Dashney, 70, who was walking in a marked crosswalk at Chemeketa Street NE.

Litherland later told police that she had smoked marijuana an hour before the crash and still could feel the effects. Litherland has been charged with DUI and second-degree assault.

Oregon's DMV records show that Litherland does not have a current driver's license in the state.

In 2009, Litherland was convicted of delivery of methamphetamine and marijuana, both felonies, according to online court records.

Litherland will next appear in Marion County Circuit Court on July 17.

NOTE:  Rose is held without bail under an ICE hold according to the MCCF. Read more about Driver who struck children's author John Dashney pleads not guilty

Gov. John Kitzhaber’s proclamation dated May 1 revealed his office would work for the issuance of Oregon driver’s licenses to undocumented foreign nationals in conjunction with his directive requiring the Oregon State Police to accept Mexican matricula consular cards as identification at traffic stops. Those actions pose an unacceptable public safety risk to Oregonians.

During the past six years, far too many Oregon residents within a 70-mile radius of Salem have lost their lives to illegal aliens driving under the influence.

Judyth Anne Cox, 66, of Newberg — a wife and mother of two adult children — was killed Dec. 3, 2007 by Ignacio Merendon-Zerega, a Mexican national illegally in the country. He lived in Woodburn. He had six drunken driving convictions and his driver’s license had been suspended numerous times. He was convicted of manslaughter, assault and felony driving under the influence and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Carma Colleen Smith, 52, of Dayton — a wife and mother of seven children — was killed May 11, 2008 (Mother’s Day) by Leonel Zurita-Loeza, a Mexican national illegally in the country. He lived in Portland.

Possessing a valid driver’s license at the time of his arrest, he was on a diversion program related to drunken driving in Washington County. He was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Oregon’s counties do not have visible borders: neither do they have physical fences of separation when it comes to crimes being committed against Oregonians by illegal alien drunken drivers across the state. Each victim has her or his own story of how life ended violently and prematurely:

- Kimberly McDaniel, 23, was killed by Mexican national Rosendo Rosales-Corona in Multnomah County on July 15, 2006.

- Justin Daniel Dougherty, age 23, was killed by Mexican national Eduardo Gutierrez in Lane County on March 4, 2008.

- Kay Blaser, 26, was killed by Mexican national Fernando Deanda Moreno in Clackamas County on Oct. 12, 2008.

- Albert Lloyd Rowland, 53, was killed by Mexican national Alvaro Lugos-Ponce in Multnomah County on May 13, 2010.

- John Zupan, 66, founder of Zupan’s Markets, was killed by Mexican national Edy Porfirio Reynoso-Ramirez in Multnomah County on Aug. 30, 2011.

Eventually all of the preceding, if they haven’t been already, will be released from the state prison system. Many will be deported. It is highly likely that some will re-enter the U.S. illegally and return to Oregon because of their familial connections to the state and will attempt to drive again with or without a driver’s license.

Oregon’s governor should realize the Mexican government’s issuance of matricula consular cards to its citizens illegally in Oregon doesn’t come with strings attached that they not have a prior criminal history; moreover, that they have automobile insurance to drive in the state.

Unfortunately for the safety of law-abiding Oregon drivers, the governor’s directive requiring State Police to accept Mexican matricula consular cards as identification undermines current Oregon law, which dictates that only those persons legally present in the U.S. may obtain a driver’s license and drive here.

Kitzhaber should not support or work for the issuance of Oregon driver’s licenses to illegal aliens. Furthermore, he should withdraw his directive that will allow illegal alien drivers to use Mexican matricula consular cards as identification at traffic stops; identification that amounts to a get-out-of-jail or deportation card in some parts of the state.

David Olen Cross of Salem writes on illegal immigration and foreign national crime. He can be reached at docfnc@yahoo.com. Read more about Governor's policy puts drivers at risk

Read below a statement from the Department of Homeland Security outlining the documents a foreign national must have to enter the United States legally. In essence a non-citizen must have either a passport or a valid visa issued by a U.S. Consular official. There is one exception to the rule.

A visa and passport are not required of a Mexican national who is in possession of a Form DSP-150, B-1/B-2 Visa and Border Crossing Card, containing a machine-readable biometric identifier issued by the U.S.Department of State. Mexican citizens using the card may only travel 25 miles into the U.S.

A Mexican matricula consular card is not valid as proof that a person is legally in the U.S. In fact, if a Mexican matricula card is the best or only identification a person can present, that is tacit admission that the person is illegally in the U.S.

Governor Kitzhaber is attempting to preempt federal law by promoting acceptance of the matricula consular as identification for drivers. That policy amounts to aiding and abetting illegal immigration. Furthermore it puts the Oregon State Police in a difficult legal position and citizens in danger.

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U.S. Customs & Border Protection

Entering the U.S. - Documents required for Foreign Nationals (International Travelers)

What travel documents and identification are required for a foreign national to enter the U.S.?

Updated 02/06/2012 11:22 AM

A foreign national or alien entering the U.S. is generally required to present a passport and valid visa issued by a U.S. Consular Official, unless they are a citizen of a country eligible for the Visa Waiver Program, or are a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. or a citizen of Canada. The Visa Waiver Program allows foreign nationals from certain countries to be admitted to the U.S. under limited conditions and for a limited time without obtaining a visa. The foreign national must arrive on an approved carrier (if coming by air or sea), staying no more than 90 days, for pleasure/medical purposes/business, and be able to prove they are not inadmissible. The foreign national is still required to have a passport. To obtain a list of countries eligible for the VisaWaiver Program, please reference the Department of State Web site. Canadians coming as a Treaty Trader, classification E are required to have a visa to enter the U.S. as are Canadians coming to marry a U.S. citizen and reside in the U.S. (K1)

A visa and passport are not required of a Mexican national who is in possession of a Form DSP-150, B-1/B-2 Visa and Border Crossing Card, containing a machine-readable biometric identifier, issued by the Department of State and is applying for admission as a temporary visitor for business or pleasure from contiguous territory by land or sea. Mexican citizens using the Border Crossing Card may only travel 25 miles into the U.S. - except in the Nogales/Tucson area, where travel to Tucson is authorized.

Continuing students who are going to travel outside of the United States must see their foreign student advisor and obtain an endorsement from the DSO or RO. The endorsement will be made on page 3 of the SEVIS Form I-20 or page 1 of the DS-2019. When returning to the United States, a continuing student/exchange visitor must present a valid SEVIS Form I-20 or DS-2019 with the DSO or RO signature showing that the student is active and in good standing with the school or program.

Visitors traveling to the U.S. are required to be in possession of passports that are valid for six months beyond the period of their intended stay in the U.S. For a list of countries exempt from the six month rule, see Six Month Club. (Six Month Club validity on your passport does not apply to U.S. Citizens returning to the United States.) Read more about Governor Kitzhaber attempts to preempt federal law