Bend Man Indicted On Cocaine Distribution Charges After A Record Drug And Cash Seizure (Photo) -03/30/22
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: March 30th, 2022
Released by: Sergeant Kent Vander Kamp
Bend, OR –
On March 24th, 2022, at approximately 7:00 PM, the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team concluded a long-term investigation with the arrest of Jeremy Bruce Minteer, age 36, of Bend, Oregon.
Drug Agents identified Jeremy Minteer as a significant cocaine distributor in the central Oregon area during the investigation. The initial investigation alleges Mr. Minteer had been importing large quantities of cocaine from the Portland area into central Oregon. Minteer allegedly distributes it in Bend area bars, taverns, and nightclubs.
Based on the investigation, CODE Detectives applied for and obtained a Search Warrant for his SW Bend apartment and his 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
After a multi-day surveillance operation throughout the Bend area and into the metropolitan Portland area, CODE Detectives, with the assistance of Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Deputies, stopped Jeremy on Highway 97 near Grandview Dr.
A subsequent search of Minteer’s Jeep located a sizable quantity of cocaine. The kilo-sized packages, still in the source country packaging, are believed to be the largest cocaine seizure from a single person in Central Oregon. In addition to the cocaine, drug agents seized a massive cache of US Currency and other evidence to support the investigation.
CODE Detectives have identified several associates and customers of Mr. Minteer, and more arrests are expected as the investigation continues.
Mr. Minteer was lodged in the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Jail with the following criminal charges.
Unlawful Possession, Manufacture, and Attempted Distribution of Cocaine
A Deschutes County Grand Jury issued an indictment against Mr. Minteer with the same charges earlier today.
The Circuit Court later set Mr. Minteer’s bail at $1,000,000.
Criminal indictments contain only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
CONTACT FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Sgt. Kent Vander Kamp, 541-550-4869 or kentv@deschutes.org
The Central Oregon Drug Enforcement (CODE) team is a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force supported by the Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program and the following Central Oregon law enforcement agencies: Bend Police Department, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Redmond Police Department, Prineville Police Department, Crook County Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Madras Police Department, Oregon State Police, Sunriver Police Department, Black Butte Police Department, United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Warm Springs Tribal Police Department, Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson County District Attorney’s, and the Oregon National Guard.
The Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates and provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement task forces to disrupt or dismantle local, multi-state and international drug trafficking organizations.
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