PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The ring leader of a drug trafficking operation out of Lane County was sentenced to 15 years in prison following what authorities say is the largest bust of meth in Oregon state history.
Martin Manzo Negrete, 51, was living in Lane County “unlawfully” as a Mexican national when he oversaw the operation that brought large amounts of meth from California to Oregon for distribution, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
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In 2021, law enforcement officials executing a federal search warrant uncovered multiple spots in Lane County with illicit material, including a storage unit with 384 pounds of meth, as well as 14 guns, some stolen, and more than $76,000 in cash. Manzo Negrete and four of his associates were arrested as part of the investigation, with a fifth suspect arrested later on.
Manzo Negrete was identified as the drug trafficking cell’s leader after an investigation by authorities that began in 2020.
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Earlier this year, Manzo Negrete pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute meth. He was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison and five years of supervised release…