Officials aren’t saying who they arrested in the Tuesday’s raid in Hazelwood; but they have identified a man charged with selling drugs a half-mile north of Parkrose High School …
Two days in a row, police officers prepare to arrest drug dealers in the outer East Portland neighborhoods of Hazelwood and Parkrose.
By David F. Ashton
Working to reduce drug crime, and take guns from the hands of violent criminals, Portland Police Bureau (PPB) Neighborhood Response Teams (NRTs), members of their Narcotics and Organized Crime Unit (NOCU) officers, and new recruits-in-training, joined to make drug busts two days in a row, on February 24 and 25.
Here’s what took place in these two outer East Portland neighborhoods:
February 24
‘Open-air drug bazaar’ leads to Hazelwood apartment drug raid
In this combination photo provided by the PPB – after obtaining a search warrant, an officer looks for evidence in the Hazelwood apartment and find a bundle of cash.
On Tuesday, February 24, PPB units were involved in a continuing “crime suppression operation” in the area of NE 122nd Avenue and Glisan Street – targeting persistent open-air drug activity, and ongoing community concerns related to narcotics trafficking and related criminal behavior.
Working in coordination, undercover officers took note of suspected drug transactions and relayed real-time information to uniformed personnel, who conducted “enforcement actions”; as a PPB spokesperson put it.
During the operation, officers collected information on which they could act which led them to identify a suspected drug trafficker wanted on multiple felony warrants. Investigators made a plan, then took a suspect into custody at the Hazel Heights Apartments, at 12621 SE Stark Street.
At the time of arrest, officers recovered fentanyl, and a substantial amount of cash. Based on probable cause, investigators obtained a court-authorized search warrant for the suspect’s residence.
Here’s the evidence: bags of ’shrooms, pills, powder, and a petite pistol. PPB image
During the subsequent search, officers seized:
Approximately 57 grams of fentanyl
Approximately 1 gram of methamphetamine
Approximately 29 grams of psilocybin mushrooms
27 suspected counterfeit “Xanax” pills
A firearm and ammunition
Multiple stolen identification cards
A commercial-grade ID printer
Multiple stolen checks
A manipulated/stolen passport
The evidence indicates the suspect was engaged narcotics distribution, as well as identity-related financial crimes.
In addition to dealing drugs, it looks like the suspect was set up to print fake ID cards. It also appears that he was taking in so much cash, he had to use an automatic bill-counting machine. PPB image
Name of arrested suspect concealed
“The suspect is not being identified, for investigative reasons,” a PPB official said. But the suspect was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on charges including Unlawful Delivery of a Controlled Substance, Felony Possession of Fentanyl, Aggravated Identity Theft, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, and multiple outstanding felony warrants.
Due to the quantity of narcotics involved, the suspect’s criminal history, and the presence of a firearm, the case may also be reviewed for potential federal prosecution.
The current status of the suspect’s custody has not been disclosed.
February 25
Man busted for drugs in Parkrose motel
Entering the Parkrose-area motel room, officers present a search warrant and find drugs and money. PPB image
Responding to tips that cocaine was being sold from an outer East Portland motel room led to PPB investigators staking out a room at the Parkrose Inn and Suites, at 11724 NE Sandy Boulevard – less than a half mile, due north, of the Parkrose High School campus.
Seeing a “high volume of foot traffic” to and from that room at the motel, at various hours throughout the day and night – “a pattern consistent with illegal narcotics distribution”, as a PPB official put it – with a search warrant in hand, officers made their move early on Wednesday, February 25.
Specifically, it was PPB’s North Precinct NRT, with aid from their NOCU officers, who conducted the drug sales investigation that led to the bust at 5:30 a.m. that morning.
On the nightstand, next to a cell phone, officers find this bag of drugs. PPB image
During the search, officers seized:
7 grams of cocaine
13 grams of Xanax
$2,498 in cash
Here’s where investigators say the suspected drug dealer broke up chunks of the drug product and weighed them out for sale. PPB image
Officers arrested 48-year-old Sineca Legardy of Portland. He was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center (MCDC) at 8:55 a.m. on Misdemeanor charges of Possession of a Controlled Substance (Cocaine) and Possession of a Controlled Substance (Schedule IV) – and on the Class A Felony charge of Delivery of a Controlled Substance (Cocaine) within 1,000 Feet of a School.
Notwithstanding his two Felony and two Misdemeanor charges, Legardy spent less than a day in custody; a kindly judge – or court official – released him without having to pay bail the day after his arrest, on February 26. Release Reason: Court Release on Recognizance
© 2026 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News™
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