Yreka area DHE bust hauls in nearly 25 pounds of fentanyl, cocaine, and heroin
YREKA, Calif., — For the third time in as many weeks, members of the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s new multi-agency Domestic Highway Enforcement (DHE) Team made a significant drug seizure along the I-5 corridor, north of SR-3, in Yreka.
The Wednesday, Feb. 16 bust hauled in thousands of M30 oxycodone/fentanyl tablets – totaling nearly ten pounds – as well as seven pounds of fentanyl powder. Five pounds of cocaine and nearly two and a half pounds of heroin were also seized.
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Recent Yreka PD patrol arrests highlight importance and need for continued pro-active policing
DHE members were patrolling the I-5 corridor through Siskiyou County at around 2:30 p.m. when they conducted an enforcement stop on a vehicle for observed traffic violations, Siskiyou County Sheriff’s spokesman Lt. Whetstine told SCNS this morning.
An I-5 traffic stop last Wednesday conducted by members of Siskiyou County’s new Domestic Highway Enforcement (DHE) Team led to the discovery and seizure of thousands of fentanyl pills, as well as several pounds each of fentanyl powder, cocaine, and heroin.
During a subsequent consent search of the vehicle, DHE members discovered and seized large, sales quantity amounts of oxycodone/fentanyl tablets, fentanyl powder, cocaine, and heroin. Based on their investigative findings, officials arrested the driver.
He was later booked into the Siskiyou County Jail on suspicion of multiple narcotics possession and possession for sales related charges.
Citing the ongoing and sensitive nature of their investigation, Whetstine declined to provide further details regarding last Wednesday’s arrest, saying no further information was available for immediate release.
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Implemented Feb. 1 by SCSO Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue in an effort to crack down on drug trafficking and other drug-related offenses along Interstate 5, the DHE Team consists of deputies and officers from the Siskiyou Sheriff’s Office and Lake Shastina Police Department.
In less than a month of operations, members have already made several arrests and drug seizures, including two other significant drug busts that hauled in tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of illicit and dangerous narcotics.
A Feb 3rd stop, just two days after the team was implemented, saw the seizure of eleven pounds of cocaine and the arrest of a Santa Clara man. The man’s juvenile brother, who was in the vehicle at the time of the stop, was later turned over to Child Protective Services.
Less than a week later, on Feb. 9th, DHE members made a second big bust, pulling ten pounds of methamphetamine and hundreds of fentanyl pills – totaling nearly $17,000 – off the streets. The stop and seizure resulted in the arrest of a man and woman.
During their first two weeks of operations, DHE members made busts that yielded tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine. Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Department photos
“These arrests were the result of outstanding police work and show the need for continued focus and enforcement along the I-5 corridor through Siskiyou County,” Whetstine went on to say, adding that he was proud of the team’s efforts.
Whetstine also said the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office and DHE members will continue to address the known problem of drug trafficking throughout the area.
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Trevor Montgomery, 51, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and operates Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS), which act as stringer-news providers for other mainstream media organizations throughout the two regions they serve.
Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.