Central Oregonian

CODE team arrests major dealer

Washington state woman who trafficked drugs in Prineville was found with three pounds of methamphetamine in her vehicle

PHOTO COURTESY OF CENTRAL OREGON DRUG ENFORCEMENT

CODE detectives seized more than $100,000 worth of drugs during the Sunday night arrest.

Jason Chaney

June 09, 2011

The Central Oregon Drug Enforcement team took a major Crook County-area drug trafficker off the street late Sunday evening.

Mattawa, Wash. resident Cindy Eckenberg was initially stopped by an Oregon State Police trooper around 11:30 p.m. Following the stop, a Redmond Police drug detection K-9 discovered drugs in the vehicle. This prompted Central Oregon Drug Enforcement (CODE) detectives to then search the vehicle.

The search yielded more than $100,000 worth of drugs and other items including three pounds of methamphetamine, 11 ounces of cocaine, 350 ecstasy pills, psilocybin mushrooms, marijuana, and a stolen firearm, as well as scales, packaging materials, drug sales and distribution paraphernalia, and $53,000 in cash.

“Given the amount of narcotics, specifically methamphetamine, that Eckenberg was in possession of, that’s a significant seizure for the CODE team,” said task force Lieutenant Ken Mannix. “We work a lot of cases, and it’s certainly not common to arrest somebody with three pounds of methamphetamine.”

CODE detectives had investigated Eckenberg for nearly three months prior to her Sunday arrest. She had been trafficking large amounts of drugs into the Prineville area from her Washington state home town. The arrest is expected to cause a significant disruption in narcotics trafficking in the Central Oregon area.

“Anybody that is involved in trafficking such a large quantity of narcotics is a pretty significant dealer in the area,” Mannix said.

But while the arrest is a major victory for the CODE team and will likely disrupt local drug trafficking, the impact is probably temporary.

“Certainly we take pride in taking an individual like Eckenberg off the street,” Mannix said. “Does that mean we made a huge dent in the war on drugs? Unfortunately, as much as I hate to say it, it seems as though when we take one dealer off the street, another one kind of steps up and takes their place. It’s a constant battle — it’s one we fight every day.”

Eckenberg faces multiple drug-related charges and an ongoing investigation involving a narcotics task force in her home town could produce additional charges.

Mannix was uncertain what penalties Eckenberg faces, but did say that she faces significant charges.

She is currently lodged in the Crook County jail.