BELLINGHAM, Wash. — The Whatcom County Sheriff's Office Gang and Drug Task Force (WGDTF) recently made a bust on a "large-scale drug distribution network" in Bellingham.
WGDTF was tipped off that the network was running out of a homeless encampment in Bellingham about a month ago.
While the encampment was under surveillance, a suspect believed to be involved in running the drug network was pulled over by Oregon State Police during a routine traffic stop in Salem, Ore., on Aug. 29. Troopers found approximately 70,000 suspected fentanyl-laced pills in his car, along with $2,000 in cash. The suspect was arrested and booked in Oregon on charges for the drugs in the vehicle.
Later that same day, WGDTF along with other law enforcement agencies executed a search warrant for a storage unit in Lynnwood that the suspect was using. Investigators found approximately 3,000 grams of fentanyl powder, 500 grams of suspected fentanyl-laced pills, 1,000 grams of heroin, 300 grams of suspected methamphetamine, a loaded 9mm handgun and $46,000 in cash.
The amount of fentanyl recovered during the bust was enough to potentially kill the entire population of Bellingham, according to WGDTF. Detectives believe that all of the drugs they recovered from the storage unit were intended to be distributed there.
Two days later, a search warrant was executed on the encampment in Bellingham where detectives recovered four firearms, including an AR-15 assault-style rifle, a sawed-off shotgun, a .22 caliber pistol that had been reported stolen and a 12-gauge shotgun. A small amount of fentanyl powder, suspected drug packaging material and other paraphernalia and $5,876 in cash were also found.
Eleven puppies and two dogs were also recovered from the encampment. They are now in the care of the Whatcom Humane Society.
The Whatcom County Sheriff's Office SWAT team, the Drug Enforcement Administration- Bellingham Resident Office, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bellingham Police Department SWAT team, Customs and Border Protection Air Marine Branch and Customs and Border Protection also participated in the drug bust.