Defendant Enters Guilty Plea Admitting To Delivery Of Heroin Resulting In Death Of 21 Year Old Salem Woman
PORTAND, Ore - Sergio Quezada-Lopez, 35, of Mexico, appeared on August 25, 2014, in U.S District Court and entered a plea of guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin in quantities of one kilogram or more that resulted in death. The maximum sentence is life and the charge carries a mandatory minimum 20 years imprisonment. The defendant is scheduled for sentencing on December 1, 2014, before U.S. District Judge Michael Simon.
The investigation began on April 16, 2012, when police officers responded to the Keizer, Oregon residence of 21 year old Laurin Putnam, who was found deceased. The initial investigation indicated that her death was likely caused by a heroin overdose and later confirmed by the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office. Soon after her death, investigators learned the identity of the last person in the chain that was responsible for distributing the heroin to Putnam that caused her death. From there, investigators were able to identify several conspirators and move six levels up the chain of distribution to Sergio Quezada-Lopez. During the investigation, agents learned that Quezada-Lopez was a high level member of the large scale conspiracy involving the distribution of significant quantities of heroin in Oregon, Washington, Nevada, and Colorado.
Quezada-Lopez’s role in the conspiracy involved his taking over and operating a network of stash houses in Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington. He would receive orders for heroin and then direct it’s delivery to customers. Co-conspirators collected cash payments and then transferred the money to Quezada-Lopez. During searches of stash houses, agents seized over four pounds of heroin, additional quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine, drug ledgers, identification documents, packaging materials, two guns, and over $20,000 in U.S. currency. In one of the stash houses, Quezada-Lopez’ fingerprints were found on a drug ledger along with an identification document bearing his photograph. Soon thereafter, agents were able to listen to a telephone conversation between Quezada-Lopez and a co-conspirator where Quezada-Lopez described an amount of heroin that should be delivered. He was arrested on April 20, 2014, less than a week after Ms. Putnam’s death.
The investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement (DEA) and the Keizer Police Department. Significant assistance was provided by the Salem Police Department, Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Oregon State Police, Washington County Interagency Narcotics (WIN), Portland Police Bureau, Clark-Skamania Drug Task Force, Oregon Department of Justice, Oregon State Medical Examiner and the Portland based Highway Interdiction Team.
