On December 19, 2022, at approximately 1:13 P.M., an Oregon State Police Senior Trooper stopped a passenger car for following too close on Interstate 5 northbound near milepost 219. During the traffic stop, the Trooper noticed signs of criminal activity, and a probable cause search of the vehicle was conducted. During a search of the vehicle, the Trooper located six bundles of suspected cocaine concealed in a cardboard box in the trunk of the vehicle. The OSP Trooper was assisted by K-9 Titan. The driver was identified as Heraclio Sanchez Diaz (38) of Gerber, California. Mr. Diaz was taken into custody and charges will be referred to the United States Attorney’s Office. OSP Troopers were assisted during the investigation by Detectives from the OSP-Criminal Investigations Division-Drug Enforcement Section (Domestic Highway Enforcement Initiative), Special Agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration – Salem Resident Office, and the United States Attorney’s Office – District of Oregon – Portland Office. 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.
