GRESHAM, Ore. -- Police served search warrants on multiple locations around 5 a.m. Tuesday, seizing 55 pounds of methamphetamine, 9 pounds of heroin, 6 handguns, 2 assault rifles and nearly $230,000 in cash.
The street value of the listed narcotics is estimated at more than $1,000,000, Gresham police said.
Police arrested four men, one of whom was turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Francisco Poncho Alvarez, 48, of Portland was charged with one count of Delivery of a Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine).
Ulises Mayares Jr., 24, of Portland was charged with one count of Delivery of a Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine), one count of Possession of a Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine), and one count of Manufacturing a Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine).
Marbello Modesto Guzman, 25, of Portland was charged with one count of Delivery of a Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine), one count of Possession of a Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine), and one count of Child Neglect in the First Degree.
Carlos Ortega-Estrella, 33, of Aloha was arrested on an outstanding arrest warrant unrelated to the case and turned over to ICE. Charges against him of one count of Delivery of a Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine), one count of Possession of a Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine), and one count of Manufacturing a Controlled Substance (Heroin), will be submitted to the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office for consideration.
The Gresham Police Department's Special Enforcement Team had identified a large-scale drug trafficking organization operating in the Portland metro area, stashing drugs at various locations from Gresham to Aloha.
They obtained the help of other local law enforcement agencies, as well as federal agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), to make the arrests.