United States Drug Enforcement Administration

PORTLAND, Oregon-The Drug Enforcement Administration Seattle Field Division today announced a multi-agency fentanyl enforcement operation resulting in dozens of arrests, and the seizure of drugs, firearms, and cash in Portland, Oregon. 

Honduran drug traffickers working for the Sinaloa Cartel infiltrated Portland flooding the area with deadly fentanyl and other drugs.  The focus of this investigation was to interrupt the open -air drug market in Multnomah County.

In a coordinated effort to protect the public from the deadly impact of fentanyl and other dangerous drugs, the DEA Portland District Office, in collaboration with the Portland Police Bureau,  Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program, conducted a series of drug enforcement missions in the first quarter of 2025 that led to significant results. In addition to numerous arrests, law enforcement partners seized substantial amounts of fentanyl powder and pills, methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin. Firearms and cash were seized, as well. 

Driven by a shared commitment to community safety, these joint missions resulted in:

• 46 arrests
• 20 firearms seized
• $204,007 in cash seized
• 44 pounds of fentanyl powder seized
• 2,507 fentanyl pills seized
• 22 pounds of methamphetamine seized
• 9 pounds of cocaine seized
• 2 pounds of heroin seized

According to the DEA lab, two milligrams of fentanyl is considered a potentially deadly dose.  Nearly 70 percent of all drug poisonings and overdose deaths involve fentanyl.

“The fentanyl seized by our team in this case could have yielded over 1.5 million lethal doses – enough to kill everyone in Portland twice,” said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division.  “I am proud that DEA could help our partners bring this surge to a successful conclusion, saving lives here in Portland and throughout Oregon.

“Fentanyl has no place in our city. Our partnership with local, state, and federal agencies makes our collective response stronger,” Portland Police Chief Bob Day said. “This operation was a success, but it is only one step in a larger, sustained effort to keep Portland safe.”

DEA would like to thank its partners for their commitment to public safety and public health, including Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA).  The HIDTA Interdiction Team (HIT) is a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force that identifies, disrupts, and dismantles local, multi-state, and international drug trafficking organizations using intelligence-driven, multi-agency, prosecutor-supported approach. 

Learn more about the dangerous of fentanyl >> DEA.gov/OnePill .

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