PORTLAND, Ore. -- An Oregon man is facing federal drug charges for allegedly importing potent opioids from China.
Agents intercepted a shipment of Cyclopropyl fentanyl, a derivative of fentanyl, according to a criminal complaint.
Portland police said the package was linked to an overdose death that happened in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
According to police, 80 people have died in accidental overdoses from synthetic opioids such as fentanyl since 2014. The deaths are increasing, the Oregon State Medical Examiner's Office said.
Joseph Caruso, 33, was arrested outside his Lake Oswego apartment on Nov. 21 for the sale and distribution of illegal narcotics, according to court records. He is now in federal custody.
A U.S. postal inspector at the Portland International Airport air cargo facility got suspicious after picking up a yellow padded envelope marked "Knitting Needle." The international package had been shipped from Shanghai.
The inspector said the contents felt like powder, not a knitting needle.
Investigators took the suspicious package to the Portland Police Bureau's Drug and Vice Division for safe testing using a ventilated hood. Inside two heat-sealed Mylar bags, investigators said they found a plastic baggie filled with off-white powder weighing 27 grams.
The Oregon State Police lab identified the powder as Cyclopropyl fentanyl, according to the criminal complaint.
"Cyclopropyl fentanyl is a very powerful opioid that is ingested in microgram dosages and has been the cause of several recent overdose deaths in Portland, Oregon metropolitan area," wrote Special Agent Guy Gino of U.S. Homeland Security in a criminal complaint filed in federal court.
The U.S. Attorney's Office in Oregon authorized investigators to replace the potent opioid with a harmless powder, then send the package on to the intended recipient in Lake Oswego.
Investigators said they watched Caruso remove the package from his mailbox. Then, he was placed under arrest.
Caruso has a previous conviction for possession of heroin in August of 2014.
According to court documents, Caruso was identified in a Chinese Ministry Public Security investigation after Chinese officials busted a drug organization sending fentanyl to the United States.
"Caruso's [phone] number was associated to a package containing 50g Fentanyl addressed to another individual in the Portland, Oregon on November 1, 2016," wrote Special Agent Gino.
A search of Caruso's Lake Oswego address found six imports mailed to Joe Caruso between October 2016 and November 2017, explained investigators. The international packages had descriptions listed on the manifest such as "SAMPLES OF COSMETICS," "DOLL" and "PRESENT," said Special Agent Gino.
Investigators said two similar packages sent to a recipient in Michigan tested positive for Furanylfentanyl, an analogue of fentanyl.
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid similar to morphine, but is at least 100 times more potent.
http://www.kgw.com/news/oregon-man-charged-with-importing-potent-opioids-from-china/494080266
This article was written by a fucking middle schooler. One issue I have is that they never explain how a package being mailed from china to a guy in Oregon is "linked" to an overdose death in Wisconsin. how is that shit possible? It didn't even get delivered. And they never explained it.
Then there is this gem:
"According to police, 80 people have died in accidental overdoses from synthetic opioids such as fentanyl since 2014."
This must be referencing Green Bay, Wisconsin, because it's definitely not referencing Portland or the number would be significantly higher. But it doesn't actually say where they got the number 80 from.
My last issue isn't with the author but whoever sent the pack... "A U.S. postal inspector at the Portland International Airport air cargo facility got suspicious after picking up a yellow padded envelope marked “Knitting Needle.”"... "The inspector said the contents felt like powder, not a knitting needle."
ahaha!!! how can you be that dumb!? Worst stealth ever. Not only would it not feel like a knitting needle which is how they say it was caught, but it would be obvious that it didn't contain knitting needles on the x-ray as well. stupid, stupid, stupid. They couldn't even think of something like "fish food" or "art glitter"?? Anything would've been better than knitting needles.