PORTLAND, Ore. (Aug. 27, 2026) — Federal prosecutors have charged more than 100 people with trafficking fentanyl in downtown Portland over the past three years as part of a joint effort involving federal and local law enforcement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.
The cases have resulted in the seizure of more than 100 kilograms of fentanyl, 40 firearms and about $1.3 million in proceeds, according to U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford.
Bradford announced the results during a news conference, saying the effort began in 2023 as open-air drug markets were prevalent in downtown Portland and local systems faced challenges holding and prosecuting street-level fentanyl dealers.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office partnered with the FBI and Portland Police Bureau to pursue federal cases against fentanyl dealers. A dedicated team included an FBI special agent, an assistant U.S. attorney, members of the Portland Police Bureau’s Bike Squad and the Central Precinct Neighborhood Response Team.
The group conducted late-night operations targeting suspected fentanyl dealers in downtown Portland.
Of the more than 100 defendants charged, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said more than 80% were immigrants from Honduras and Mexico who were unlawfully residing in Oregon.
The amount of fentanyl seized was enough to potentially produce a lethal dose for 50 million people, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“Our message is simple,” Bradford said. “If you are dealing fentanyl in downtown Portland, you will be arrested, federally prosecuted, and go to federal prison.”
Bradford said the effort has contributed to changes in downtown Portland, where fentanyl dealers and open-air drug markets had contributed to concerns about crime, violence and overdoses.
“Three years ago, downtown Portland had notorious open-air drug markets and was in the news for all the wrong reasons,” Bradford said. “Downtown fentanyl dealers, many of whom were armed, were contributing to higher crime rates and overdoses. To many people, downtown Portland simply felt unsafe — and it was.”
As dealers moved from downtown into other areas, additional law enforcement agencies joined the effort. The partnership now includes local, county, state and federal agencies across the broader Portland metropolitan area.
“Our coordinated and dynamic law enforcement response, with local, county, state, and federal partners, is making a difference in downtown Portland — reducing fentanyl trafficking, violent crime, and overdoses,” Bradford said.
FBI Portland Special Agent in Charge Doug Olson credited partnerships with the Portland Police Bureau, Multnomah and Clackamas county sheriff’s offices and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“To anyone dealing dangerous drugs downtown: it’s not a matter of if we catch you — it’s when,” Olson said.
Several cases cited by federal prosecutors illustrate the types of investigations pursued through the effort.
Luis Carlos Moreno-Mencia
Moreno-Mencia pleaded guilty in December 2024 to possessing 40 grams or more of fentanyl with intent to distribute. Court documents say he possessed about 167 grams of fentanyl for distribution on Sept. 28, 2023, and also possessed a firearm.
He was sentenced in March 2025 to five years in federal prison followed by four years of supervised release. Prosecutors said he faces deportation to Honduras.
Olvin Fabricio Diaz-Centeno
Diaz-Centeno pleaded guilty in October 2024 to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
According to court documents, authorities seized about 1.2 kilograms of counterfeit M30 pills containing fentanyl and 1 kilogram of a cutting agent from a vehicle in which Diaz-Centeno and a co-defendant were arrested in September 2023.
A storage unit search resulted in the seizure of about 460 grams of additional counterfeit M30 pills containing fentanyl and 2.1 kilograms of powdered fentanyl. Authorities also seized three pistols, ammunition and equipment used to process fentanyl at a residence.
Diaz-Centeno was sentenced in December 2024 to 87 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He faces deportation to Honduras.
Bexon Calix-Rivera
Calix-Rivera pleaded guilty in March 2025 to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
According to court documents, Portland police officers encountered Calix-Rivera multiple times between January 2023 and June 2024. On June 4, 2024, officers saw him carrying a hatchet and conducting suspected hand-to-hand drug transactions downtown.
Calix-Rivera fled when officers attempted to detain him. Officers eventually apprehended him and seized fentanyl powder, a firearm and $755.
He was booked into the Multnomah County Jail and released the same day.
A federal grand jury later indicted him on charges involving possession of fentanyl, heroin and cocaine with intent to distribute, as well as possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
Calix-Rivera was sentenced in June 2025 to 78 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release. He faces deportation to Honduras.
Cristian Laines-Hernandez
Laines-Hernandez pleaded guilty in January 2026 to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
Court documents say he possessed 45 prepackaged bags of fentanyl weighing about 339 grams on Jan. 18, 2025. He was initially arrested on state charges but released four days later.
He was arrested again in September 2025 by the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Unit as part of a separate drug-trafficking investigation. The state case was later adopted for federal prosecution.
Laines-Hernandez was sentenced in May 2026 to 27 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He faces deportation to Honduras.
Matthew Eugene Garlock
Garlock pleaded guilty in May 2026 to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
According to court documents, Garlock sold fentanyl in downtown Portland from January through April 2025. Prosecutors said he continued distributing fentanyl despite multiple arrests by local law enforcement.
Authorities said fentanyl and firearms were seized during those encounters, but Garlock subsequently obtained additional fentanyl and firearms.
A search of his residence resulted in the seizure of three pistols, ammunition and equipment used to process fentanyl for distribution.
Garlock appeared in federal court in April 2025 and was detained. He remains in custody and is scheduled for sentencing.
Federal officials said the investigations will continue as agencies work together to target fentanyl trafficking and related violent crime throughout the Portland area.
All suspects are believed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law
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