The Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team announced Monday they arrested 26-year-old Bryanna Nelson of Prineville for fentanyl trafficking after a long-term investigation.
Based on an initial investigation, detectives believed that she was importing large quantities of fentanyl from Portland into Central Oregon, mainly Prineville, according to Sgt. Kent Vander Kamp.
On March 13, following a multi-day surveillance operation in Portland, CODE Detectives and Oregon State Police Troopers stopped Nelson on Hwy 26 between Madras and Prineville at around 7 p.m.
She was arrested, and a man and a toddler who were with her at the time were also detained.
The man was later released without charges, and the toddler was put in the care of Oregon DHS-Child Welfare.
CODE Detectives were granted a search warrant for her home and her Nissan Rouge.
They discovered a commercial amount of counterfeit Oxycodone tablets made of fentanyl in the car, as well as a large amount of cash.
Counterfeit tablets containing fentanyl or methamphetamine have been linked to an ongoing overdose epidemic in Central Oregon, and they can be deadly to an unsuspecting user.
Nelson was booked at the Crook County Jail on the following charges:
- Unlawful Possession, Manufacture, and Attempted Distribution of a Schedule II Controlled Substance (Fentanyl)
- Child Neglect I
Crook County District Attorney Kari Hathorn, provided the following comment, “My office supports a public safety surge to address the alarming increase in the availability of these fentanyl-laced fake pills. It is the Crook County District Attorney’s Office goal to work with our law enforcement partners and the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team to protect the safety and health of our Crook County community from the harm, crime and overdoses driven by these criminal drug networks.”
