(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Salem police seized 28 pounds of methamphetamine, thousands of fake oxycodone pills, guns and cash from a man they arrested Tuesday.
Rico Anthony Russell Rigutto, 25 of Salem, was arrested on a federal criminal complaint. A search of his residence on a federal warrant led officers to find about 25,000 fraudulent oxycodone pills, 28 pounds of methamphetamine, six pounds of heroin, 16 firearms, thousands of rounds of ammunition and around $75,000 in cash, according to a Friday news release from Salem police.
Rigutto was charged Tuesday in U.S. District Court of Oregon with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, unlawful possession of a machine gun, and possession of a machine gun in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, court documents showed.
Investigators determined the “street value” of the heroin, meth and pills is nearly $250,000, the news release said.
“The increased presence of these polydrug pills coincides with the cases of overdoses in our community,” said Lieutenant Ben Bales, who supervises the special investigations team, in the news release.
Police also say two of the confiscated guns were also modified to be fully automatic, which is illegal without a stamp from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives.
Rigutto was arrested through a partnership with Salem Police Department Criminal Investigations Section, the ATF and the Federal Bureau of Investigation all worked to arrest Rigutto. A Salem police Special Investigations Unit detective is assigned to the FBI Task Force as part of the partnership, the news release said.
The District of Oregon U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case due to the federal charges.
“We very much appreciate the partnership we have with our federal counterparts. The collaboration helps us combat serious criminal activity that affects Salem, and really, the entire valley,” Bales said.
READ MORE HERE: Police trace Salem drug case to supplier in Mexico
(Courtesy/Salem Police Department)
This story was updated after Salem police added six pounds of heroin to the list of items seized.
-Ardeshir Tabrizian
