Pounds of heroin popped at late-night Lents bust

Even if the bad guy was simply passing through the area, see how alert cops got the drop on an accused dope runner carrying a kilo of ‘smack’ …

It isn’t cakes of mud in this baggie, officials say – it’s heroin, ready to be broken down for sale. PPB photo

Story by David F. Ashton
When Portland Police Bureau (PPB) East Precinct officers watched how a man was driving his car on SE Foster Road, west of Lents Town Center, they decided to pull the driver over about 3:00 a.m. on November 15.

Then, discovering the driver’s license and been revoked, officers decided to take a closer look at this late-night traveler in a 2003 Honda Accord – stopped in the 8800 block of SE Foster Road – reported PPB Public Information Officer Sgt. Pete Simpson.

Careful packaging didn’t help the suspected drug mule, when his car was searched – this particular stash could make thousands of addicts high. PPB photo

“During a search of the vehicle, officers located one kilogram of heroin, wrapped in several layers of plastic and vacuum seal bags,” revealed Simpson.

“Officers believe the heroin was destined for distribution in the Portland area,” Simpson added. “One kilogram of heroin can produce over 5,000 individual doses. The street value of the heroin seized is in excess of $100,000.”

Police say this man, 44-year-old Ignacio Rasgado-Martinez, was driving the Honda, with a couple pounds of heroin as his passenger. MCDC photo

Simpson said they took 44-year-old Ignacio Rasgado-Martinez into custody. “Officers believe Martinez may be a part of a larger drug-trafficking organization. They notified the bureau’s Drugs and Vice Division to handle the continuing investigation.”

Martinez was lodged in the Multnomah County Jail on $500,000 bail, where he remains as of this writing.

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