Prominent Oregon drug trafficker, last defendant in major drug ring, sentenced to 8 years in federal prison

PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) – The head of an Oregon-based drug trafficking cell with ties to a major drug trafficking organization based in Mexico was sentenced Monday to more than eight years in a federal prison following an investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Horacio Luna-Perez, 42, of Hillsboro, was sentenced to 97 months in federal prison and five years of probation.

According to court documents, in November 2020, DEA special agents began investigating a drug trafficking organization with ties to Mexico that was active in several states, including Oregon.

In the early stages of the investigation, Luna-Perez was identified as the leader of an Oregon-based drug trafficking cell responsible for maintaining a constant supply and sale of various narcotics, including methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl, in Portland and Eastern Washington. In his role, Luna-Perez managed a network of associates and couriers responsible for the procurement, sale, and redistribution of the narcotics.

During the same investigation, DEA agents identified a separate drug trafficking cell responsible for the distribution and sale of drugs in Portland and Salem, led by 34-year-old Jesus Miramontes-Castaneda of Portland.

On August 11, 2021, a federal court grand jury in Portland indicted Miramontes-Castaneda and five accomplices for conspiring to smuggle large quantities of heroin and methamphetamine from California and distribute them in Portland and Salem. A month later, on September 14, 2021, Luna-Perez and nine accomplices were charged in a separate indictment with conspiracy to possess heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine from California with intent to distribute for distribution in and around Portland and in Eastern Washington. Luna-Perez's cell also had ties to drug traffickers in Colorado and California.

Following these charges, coordinated law enforcement actions against the Luna-Perez and Miramontes-Castaneda drug trafficking cells in August and October 2021 resulted in the arrest of the two men and sixteen accomplices, including several individuals whose involvement in the conspiracies was previously unknown. Additional charges were brought against these defendants in several parallel proceedings.

As a result of the various seizures and arrests made during this investigation, law enforcement seized approximately 200,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl, two pounds of fentanyl powder, 40 pounds of methamphetamine, 45 pounds of heroin, 13 pounds of cocaine, nine firearms, and more than $1.4 million in cash bundled and stuffed into suitcases.

On August 12, 2022, Miramontes-Castaneda pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin and methamphetamine. Two months later, on December 8, 2022, he was sentenced to 78 months in a federal prison and five years of probation.

On January 22, 2024, Luna-Perez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possession of heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl with intent to distribute.

As part of this investigation, Luna Perez and Miramontes-Castaneda, as well as 17 members of their cells, pleaded guilty and were sentenced to federal prison terms for their involvement in the various drug conspiracies. The sentences ranged from time already served to 151 months in prison.

These cases were investigated by the DEA with assistance from the Oregon State Police, Portland Police Bureau, Tigard Police Department, Clackamas County Interagency Task Force (CCITF), including member agencies Canby Police Department, Oregon City Police Department, and Tualatin Police Department, and Central Oregon Drug Enforcement (CODE). They were prosecuted by William M. McLaren, Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Oregon.

These cases were the result of an investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). The OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement against criminal networks.