Douglas Interagency Narcotics Team arrest two individuals for alleged heroin and meth possession
Written by Press Release on April 5, 2023
Douglas County, Ore., — On Tuesday, April 4th, at approximately 4:30 PM, detectives with the Douglas Interagency Narcotics Team arrested 2 individuals from the Eugene area for meth and heroin crimes.
Detectives, with help from deputies with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in the parking lot of a business in the 800 block of John Long Road, Oakland (Rice Hill truck stop area). This stop was made as part of an ongoing investigation into the occupants of the vehicle, and their suspected drug trafficking activities.
A search of the vehicle revealed approximately 141 grams of suspected crystal methamphetamine in several separate bags. Also located was one small bag containing approximately 2.7 grams of suspected heroin.
44 year old Michael Bethel, of Eugene, and 34 year old Catherine Silva, also of Eugene, were both lodged at the Douglas County Jail on charges of Unlawful Possession and Unlawful Delivery of Methamphetamine, as well as Unlawful Delivery of Heroin.
DINT shared this information with detectives from the Eugene Police Street Crimes Unit, who had an active investigation into Bethel regarding similar activity. With the addition of this new information, Eugene police were able to obtain a search warrant for Bethel’s residence in the 2600 block of Janelle Way in Eugene. Eugene police served the search warrant in the evening hours of March 4th, and located 2 firearms, one of which had been reported stolen, as well as approximately 1 ounce of suspected methamphetamine, and ¼ ounce of a suspected methamphetamine/fentanyl mixture, and additional evidence of manufacturing and delivery of controlled substances.
Bethel will be charged with additional crimes in Lane County, likely to include 2 counts of Felon in Possession of a Firearm, and further drug crimes.
Criminal activity knows no boundaries. It is especially common for drug trafficking activity to cross jurisdictional boundaries as drugs are transported from one place to another for distribution. Part of DINT’s mission is to interrupt the trafficking and distribution of controlled substances into our area. Often times that requires working in conjunction with our counterparts in other areas from all over the State of Oregon, and sometimes even outside the state. This is just another example of DINT’s partnerships with law enforcement from around the State of Oregon and beyond.
