Salem man sentenced to federal prison for fentanyl trafficking; police seized 50 pounds of drugs
A Salem man was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison Monday for his involvement in trafficking fentanyl and other drugs in Oregon after police seized more than 50 pounds of drugs from his home.
The man, Leonel Covarrubias Hernandez, 48, pleaded guilty in November to fentanyl possession with intent to distribute after a traffic stop led to his arrest in December 2022, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Portland. He is a Mexican national, the statement said.
Law enforcement identified Covarrubias as a drug distributor during a 2022 investigation. From August to December that year, officers made “controlled buys” from Covarrubias in a Salem parking lot during. He sold police fake oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, according to an affidavit from the FBI Portland field office.
The Salem Police Department worked with the FBI to investigate the case.
On Dec. 27, 2022, officers pulled over Covarrubias and another distributor in a traffic stop and found counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, thousands of dollars in cash and a gun.
That day, officers also visited their residence and found 29 pounds of methamphetamine, 11 pounds of fentanyl, a dozen pounds of cocaine and two pounds of heroin, according to the statement. Officers also seized 24 firearms, including rifles and handguns, $43,000 in cash and a 3D printer from the residence.
Covarrubias was sentenced to five years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
Contact reporter Madeleine Moore: [email protected].
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Madeleine Moore came to Salem after graduating from the University of Oregon in June 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. She covers addiction and recovery, transportation and infrastructure.
