Officials have announced the largest methamphetamine bust in Oregon state history.
Investigations into drug trafficking around Lane County began in October 2020. Then last month, officials with the DEA, assisted by the Linn Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team and the Eugene and Springfield Police Departments, seized 384 pounds of meth, valued at over a million dollars.
Federal search warrants served across Lane County led to 14 firearms – including some that were stolen – being confiscated, valued at over $76,000.
Members of a drug trafficking cell were arrested, including its leader, 47 year-old Martin Manzo-Negrete , who has a long history of drug running and previously spent 14 years in federal prison.
Four of Manzo-Negrete’s associates were arrested, and all face federal drug charges. They are Eugene residents Gustavo Manzo-Mares, 45; Candice L. Barrett, 52; John C. Willis, 59; and Nathan Lee Daniels, 46.
A fifth associate, 52 year-old Frank Buehler of Eugene, remains at large.
Officials say meth was transported from southern California into Oregon, where it was divided up and distributed across the state.
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