Detectives believe the four men arrested during a traffic stop late Thursday night on Highway 97 just north of Redmond, Oregon were transporting the drugs discovered in their vehicle from the Beaverton area for distribution in Madras and other Central Oregon locations.

(top left) Octavio Real Barajas, (top right) Luis Manuel Avalos Gonzalez, (bottom left) Javier Garcia Reyes, (bottom right) Ernesto Carranza - DCJ photos

Members of the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement (CODE) team assisted Redmond Police during a traffic stop near O’Neil Junction about 10:45 p.m., February 28, and brought in a drug-detecting police dog and his deputy handler from the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office when suspicions arose concerning the possibility of illegal narcotics in the 1998 Ford Explorer.

According to CODE detective Bend Police Lt. John Gautney, “Narc” -- the sheriff’s office K9 dog – alerted to the presence of drugs. Detectives received consent to search the SUV, and discovered over a pound of marijuana, more than two ounces of methamphetamine, digital scales and packaging material, and over $500 cash.

The street value of the drugs seized would be about $9,700, Lt. Gautney said.

The four occupants of the vehicle were taken into custody without incident, and the SUV was seized.

Javier Garcia Reyes, 21; Luis Manuel Avalos Gonzalez, 26; and Octavio Real Barajas, 21; all of Beaverton, Oregon; and 32-year old Ernesto Carranza of Cornelius, Oregon were lodged in the Deschutes County Jail.

All four men were charged with possession and delivery of marijuana, Gautney said, adding that Real Barajas faces additional charges of possession, delivery and manufacture of methamphetamine.

“This is just another example of our local police working continually and cooperatively in this multi-jurisdictional effort to rid Central Oregon of the distribution, manufacture, and possession of illegal narcotics,” the lieutenant said, referring to the efforts of CODE team members.

CODE is comprised of detectives from the Bend, Redmond, and Prineville Police Departments; the Jefferson and Deschutes County Sheriff’s Offices; Oregon State Police; U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; Oregon National Guard and the Deschutes County District Attorney.