A man unlawfully residing in the United States is facing federal charges after Oregon State Police discovered more than 60 pounds of powdered fentanyl during a traffic stop near Albany, Oregon.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon, 46-year-old Jose Ivan Iribe Camorlinga, a Mexican national living illegally in Oakland, California, was pulled over by an Oregon State Police trooper on May 20, 2025, after committing an unlawful lane change on northbound Interstate 5, just north of Brownsville in Linn County.
Oregon is a designated sanctuary state, meaning state and local law enforcement are generally restricted from enforcing federal immigration laws or asking about a person's immigration status. Despite these restrictions, coordination between state police and federal authorities led to the seizure in this case.
During the stop, Iribe Camorlinga told the trooper he was headed to Salem, though later admitted he didn’t know anyone there. After consenting to a search of the vehicle, a K-9 unit alerted to the trunk, where officers discovered 25 vacuum-sealed packages of powdered fentanyl.
The total weight of the narcotics seized exceeded 60 pounds, which the DEA estimates could contain enough fentanyl to potentially kill more than 13 million people, based on lethal dosage thresholds.
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Iribe Camorlinga was arrested at the scene and transferred into the custody of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). He made his initial appearance in federal court on May 21, though he has not yet been formally arraigned. He is currently being held without bond and faces a charge of possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute.
This arrest comes just weeks after federal authorities carried the largest fentanyl busts in U.S. history, which included operations in Oregon. That multi-state effort led to the arrest of 16 individuals, including Heriberto Salazar Amaya, an alleged Sinaloa Cartel affiliate apprehended in Salem. In total, authorities seized more than 880 pounds of fentanyl, including pills and powder, along with millions in cash, luxury vehicles, and dozens of firearms.
Governor Tina Kotek has implemented a multi-pronged strategy to address Oregon’s fentanyl crisis, focusing on both enforcement and public health. In January 2024, she declared a 90-day state of emergency in Portland alongside city and county leaders to coordinate outreach, increase naloxone distribution, and enhance law enforcement presence in areas heavily impacted by fentanyl use.
In April 2024, she signed House Bill 4002 into law, rolling back parts of Measure 110 by recriminalizing possession of small amounts of hard drugs. The legislation also emphasized treatment through “deflection” programs, allowing individuals to avoid charges by participating in addiction services. The bill allocated $211 million to expand access to treatment facilities and support systems across the state.
Kotek also directed the Oregon State Police to launch the Fentanyl Strategic Enforcement and Disruption Initiative. This program aims to dismantle trafficking networks through targeted patrols, interagency collaboration, and data-driven enforcement strategies.
In addition to enforcement efforts, her administration supported fentanyl prevention in schools by updating the state’s Fentanyl Toolkit and expanding synthetic opioid education through the Oregon Health Authority and Department of Education.
While Governor Kotek has remained focused on broader systemic solutions, she has not publicly commented on two recent high-profile fentanyl busts in Oregon: the May 2025 seizure of 60 pounds of powdered fentanyl during a traffic stop near Albany, and the multi-state DEA operation that led to several arrests—including one in Salem—linked to the Sinaloa Cartel.
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, confidential help is available 24/7. Call the Lines for Life Substance Abuse Helpline at 1-800-923-4357 or visit www.linesforlife.org. You can also text “RecoveryNow” to 839863 daily between 2 PM and 6 PM Pacific Time.
For more information, see the official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice:
👉 justice.gov/usao-or/pr/mexican-national-unlawfully-residing-california-faces-federal-charges-trafficking
