Vancouver man among 22 charged in federal drug bust

UPDATE: Rene Diaz Gutierrez pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced in December 2019 to 22 months in federal prison, according to court records.

A Vancouver man was one of 22 people charged in a nine-count federal indictment that the U.S. Department of Justice says targets a criminal organization responsible for trafficking large amounts of cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine throughout the Northwest.

Rene Diaz Gutierrez, 36, is charged with conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Oregon.

On Wednesday morning, the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and Clackamas County, Ore., Interagency Task Force arrested 17 people as part of a multi-agency investigation into a Michoacan, Mexico-based drug cartel working out of Oregon City.

The indictment, unsealed today, alleges organization members conspired to distribute drugs, maintain facilities to manufacture and distribute drugs, and launder money.

Fifteen of the 22 defendants were arraigned in federal court Wednesday.

The identities of the five remaining defendants remain under seal, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release, adding that all of the defendants were expected to make their first court appearances within a week.