Cocaine, Firearms And Cash Seized During A Bend Search Warrant; 22 Year Bend Man Arrested (Photo) - 11/15/22
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: November 15, 2022
Released by: Sergeant Kent Vander Kamp
Bend, OR –
On November 15, 2022, at approximately 5:30PM, the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team concluded an investigation with the arrest of Chantz Kucharski, age 22, of Bend, Oregon.
After receiving community tips, CODE detectives identified Mr. Kucharski as a cocaine trafficker in the Bend area. Drug agents conducted surveillance for several weeks on Kucharski’s activities and allege Mr. Kucharski was selling large quantities of cocaine in the area. Agents also developed information that he was also armed with a firearm.
CODE detectives applied for, obtained, and executed a search warrant for Mr. Kucharski, his car and apartment on the 2000 block of NE Linnea Drive. As a result, on November 15, 2022, at 5:30 PM, Mr. Kucharski was contacted during a traffic stop on Lotus Dr and Purcell Blvd, in the city of Bend, while driving a 2019 Dodge Challenger. Immediately following the traffic stop, detectives executed the search warrant at his apartment where another 22-year-old man was contacted. It was determined that the second man was not related to the investigation and released at the scene.
CODE Detectives and Bend Police Officers gathered and seized a commercial quantity of cocaine, two pistols, an AR-15 rifle and over $67,000 from Mr. Kucharski's apartment.
A “commercial quantity” is defined by statute as ten grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine. This is not a separate criminal charge but rather an increase in the sentencing guidelines.
Mr. Kucharski was lodged in the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Jail with the following criminal charges.
Unlawful Possession of Cocaine
Unlawful Manufacturing of Cocaine
Attempted Delivery of a Controlled Substance
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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