Federal agents and police have arrested nine suspects in a major methamphetamine trafficking ring accused of smuggling hundreds of pounds of the drug from Mexico into Salem and Portland.
Police arrested a Salem woman in February in connection with the drug operation, which federal authorities described as trafficking in “enormous” amounts of meth up the Interstate 5 corridor from southern California.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration seized about 235 pounds of meth from the operation in 2023. That includes 32 pounds federal agents picked up from Salem in October, according to court records.
An estimated street dose of meth is about 0.1 grams, according to the National Drug And Alcohol Research Centre. The amount seized in this case works out to over one million doses.
Court documents describe the ring moving meth up the West Coast by carrying drugs in baggage on bus trips and in gas tanks.
Even after federal agents intercepted a major shipment of meth in November, the traffickers “doubled down” on their drug trade, prosecutors said in a court filing. “They switched methods and attempted to evade detection by hiding the drugs in the gas tanks of vehicles.”
A federal grand jury indicted Ana K. Mota-Cervantes of Salem in December in Portland U.S. District Court on charges of possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute and conspiracy to do the same.
The charges allege that Mota-Cervantes in August drove to Coburg with four pounds of meth in an athletic bag which she intended to sell.
Police pulled her over that day and seized the meth but did not arrest her at the time.
Pedro Beltran-Avendano, 42, who prosecutors described as the kingpin of the drug trafficking ring, was also indicted on a charge of conspiracy to possess meth with intent to distribute. He is a southern California resident.
Federal prosecutors laid out details on the drug operation in a memorandum seeking to keep him in jail while he awaits trial.
The DEA investigated the operation from last summer to winter, wiretapping phone conversations.
Agents listened to Beltran-Avendano’s drug talk with another trafficker, which revealed that he dealt in 50-pound quantities of meth.
The federal agency also learned that he gets his drugs fresh, right after they’ve been smuggled into the U.S. His access to such large shipments from Mexico “is indicative of his status as a trusted, upper echelon distributor,” according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Sax.
DEA agents learned from wiretapped calls that a woman involved in the ring planned to fly to Portland in early November and pick up a courier who transported meth by bus from the Los Angeles area.
The woman has been charged for her role in the conspiracy but is not identified in prosecutors’ memorandum.
Agents surveilled both suspects, pulled them over in a car and found a suitcase containing 50 pounds of meth.
The day after the traffic stop, the woman told Beltran-Avendano on a phone call that she was confused why she hadn’t been arrested even though the drugs were seized. He responded that law enforcement wanted to catch “the real people,” later adding, “They want me.”
He comforted the woman about the drugs being seized. “Be ready,” he said. We’ll be alright. We just gotta do things better.”
They then planned how they would hide the drugs in gas tanks to avoid detection.
“This is the conduct and persistence of a professional drug dealer,” Sax said.
Later that month, DEA agents stopped a drug courier working for the trafficking ring on Interstate 5 and searched his SUV based on a federal warrant. They found 29 pounds of meth in the gas tank.
Agents also searched Beltran-Avendano’s home in Lake Elsinore, California, and found about $230,000 cash.
Beltran-Avendano was arrested in California on Jan. 23 and transported a month later by U.S. Marshals to Portland. He was being held at the Multnomah County Jail as of Wednesday, the jail’s roster showed.
A federal magistrate judge on Friday ordered that Beltran-Avendano remain detained while awaiting trial.
He has a “steady job” and no prior convictions but has twice been arrested on felony drug trafficking charges, according to prosecutors. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison if convicted of the recent charge.
State court records showed no criminal history for Mota-Cervantes, the Salem woman arrested.
Both have a trial scheduled for April 9.
CORRECTION: A previous version reported an erroneous calculation of the number of street doses of methamphetamine seized in the case. Salem Reporter apologizes for the error.
Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.
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Ardeshir Tabrizian has covered criminal justice and housing for Salem Reporter since September 2021. As an Oregon native, his award-winning watchdog journalism has traversed the state. He has done reporting for The Oregonian, Eugene Weekly and Malheur Enterprise.
