On January 18, 2023, around 11:26 a.m., an Oregon State Police Senior Trooper stopped an SUV for a lane usage violation on Highway 97, milepost 276, near Klamath Falls. During the traffic stop, the Sr. Trooper noticed signs of criminal activity, and a search of the vehicle was conducted. During the search of the vehicle, the Sr. Trooper located approximately 10 pounds of suspected methamphetamine, 3 pounds of suspected heroin, and 1.4 pounds of suspected counterfeit pills containing fentanyl- all concealed within the vehicle. The driver was identified as Sergio Luis Salazar-Mercado (30) of Wapato, Washington. Salazar-Mercado was taken into custody and lodged in the Klamath County Jail. OSP Troopers were assisted during the investigation by Detectives from the Basin Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team (BINET) and Detectives from the OSP-Criminal Investigations Division-Drug Enforcement Section (Domestic Highway Enforcement Initiative). The Oregon State Police-Domestic Highway Enforcement Initiative is supported by the Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA). 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 the OSP-DHE Initiative.
