Detectives with the Douglas Interagency Narcotics Team (DINT) made another drug arrest on Wednesday, October 26th. Detectives had interest in 39 year old Sutherlin resident Caleb Plueard, due to his alleged involvement in illegal drug activity, including his alleged involvement in recent fentanyl overdoses. Plueard was seen leaving a residence in the 1300 block of Airway Avenue in Sutherlin. A traffic stop was initiated by a Douglas County Sheriff’s deputy, at which time Plueard was contacted by DINT detectives. Drug detection K-9 “Trapper” was applied to Plueard’s vehicle and he alerted, giving his handler the signal that he detected the odor of narcotics coming from inside the vehicle. A search of Plueard’s vehicle revealed a plethora of controlled substances to include the following: 421 grams of suspected methamphetamine (almost 1 pound); 2.4 grams of suspected cocaine; 6.6 grams of suspected heroin; 5.3 grams of fentanyl powder; 13 suspected counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl; Several other dosage units of various pharmaceutical drugs without prescriptions. Plueard was lodged at the Douglas County Jail on the following charges: Unlawful Possession of Heroin; Unlawful Delivery of Heroin; Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine; Unlawful Delivery of Methamphetamine; Unlawful Possession of Sch. II Controlled Substance; Unlawful Delivery of Sch. II Controlled Substance; Conspiracy. Whether these seized drugs, or any particular suspect has been directly involved in any recent fentanyl overdoses has not been determined. Fentanyl is an extremely powerful synthetic opioid that is 50-100 times stronger than morphine. Ingesting even a small amount can be fatal. Experimentation with fentanyl, or any illicit drugs is always very dangerous, but even more so now with the proliferation of fentanyl in our communities. Fentanyl can be mixed into any of the common street drugs, with or without a user’s knowledge. Using illicit drugs should be avoided at all costs. The DINT team is a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force that identifies, disrupts, and dismantles local, multi-state, and international drug trafficking organizations using an intelligence-driven, multi-agency prosecutor-supported approach. DINT is supported by the Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) and is composed of members from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Roseburg Police Department, Oregon State Police, Bureau of Land Management, and the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office. The Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates with and provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement initiatives, including DINT.
