August 19, 2008

Agencies combine for drug busts
Two people arrested on local charges, drug paraphernalia seized

By RODGER NICHOLS
of The Chronicle


     Commuters on their way home up Kelly Avenue Monday saw the most obvious signs of a four-location coordinated drug bust at Eleventh Street involving local, regional and federal authorities. Four police vehicles with flashing lights surrounded Garcia’s gas station at that location, and another vehicle was parked in a yard at Tenth Street, also with lights flashing.
     That group included a Sherman County Sheriff’s Office vehicle marked K-9.
According to a press release, officers from The Mid-Columbia Interagency Narcotics Taskforce (MINT), The Dalles City Police, The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office, The Oregon State Police, The Sherman County Sheriff’s Office, The Gilliam County Sheriff’s Office, The U.S. Forest Service, DEA, and The Blue-Mountain Enforcement Narcotics Team (BENT), executed four search warrants simultaneously at four locations inside the city limits of The Dalles.
     The locations searched were;
     1200 Kelly Avenue, (Garcia’s Gas Mart),
     1211 East 12th Street, (residence),
     3707 W. 8th Street, (residence),
     621 East 10th Street, (residence).
     Seized during the execution of the warrants were numerous firearms, drug paraphernalia, digital scales, packaging materials, U.S Currency, financial records, and residual amounts of methamphetamine.
     Antonio Garcia-Contreras, 47, The Dalles, was arrested on charges of probation violation, failure to register as a sex offender, and felon in possession of a firearm.
     Gloria Garcia-Contreras, 45, also of The Dalles was arrested for having offensive physical contact with a federal agent.
     Both Antonio and Gloria were subsequently lodged at The Northern Oregon Corrections Facility on the aforementioned charges.
     The investigation is continuing, and anyone with information regarding this case are encouraged to contact The Dalles City Police at (541) 296-2613, and/or the Mid-Columbia Interagency Narcotics Taskforce at (541) 296-1885.
     According to Captain Ed Goodman of The Dalles City Police, the activity was a combined Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Mid-Columbia Intragency Task Force (MINT) operation that was the culmination of a two-year investigation.