Alleged Fentanyl Trafficker Arrested In Blue City For The Second Time In One Week

Authorities in Portland, Oregon, arrested a fentanyl trafficker for the second time after he was let go and didn’t show for court previously, according to the Willamette Week.

For a second time in a single week, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office arrested 23-year-old Luis Funez during a traffic stop Wednesday, the local outlet reported. Funez was first arrested Dec. 8 with 52 pounds of fentanyl and said to be the alleged leader of a drug trafficking ring.

Deputies didn’t book Funez into jail on new charges related to the Dec. 8 arrest, instead using an outstanding warrant for ditching a court appearance after he was allegedly dealing fentanyl in Portland earlier in 2023, according to the Willamette Week.

The court didn’t find that he needed to be held in jail for his first arrest this week, according to the Willamette Week. The U.S. Marshals have requested Funez be held in jail until he faces new charges.

The U.S. Marshals Service and the Portland Police Bureau were involved in Funez’s latest arrest, according to the sheriff’s department.

Oregon has seen a significant surge in fentanyl overdoses after the state stopped jailing users of the deadly synthetic narcotic. Since adopting a measure to fine drug users $100 for possession of fentanyl and other drugs or require that they complete a health assessment with substance abuse professionals instead of facing fines of up to $6,250, or sentencing them to possible jail time.

Since the measure was adopted,  Portland lost nearly 3% of its residents between 2020 and 2022. In 2019, more than 600 people died of overdoses in Oregon, increasing nearly 1,200 in 2022, according to KOIN 6 News.