A Portland man, Riley James Hinds, is now facing a slew of federal charges after being busted with an international shipment full of MDMA, a veritable drugstore's worth of narcotics, and an arsenal of 42 firearms in his home. The 38-year-old was nailed by the feds for his intent to distribute controlled substances and possessing guns to back up his illicit trade.
Hinds, who went by the moniker "James Settler," was caught after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at LAX intercepted a package on January 9 containing about 2.5 pounds of MDMA straight from the Netherlands. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents in Portland were quick to swoop down and dive into an investigation, linking the package to Hinds, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon.
The feds clamped down on Hinds on January 26, slapping cuffs on him and searching his Gresham residence. They found – and promptly seized – more than just MDMA. The investigators unearthed a cornucopia of controlled substances including Adderall, fake Oxycodone, cocaine, and psychedelics such as LSD, among many others. The search also turned up enough firepower to outfit a small militia, with 42 guns, ghost guns in the making, and a collection of body armor.
In his initial court appearance today, the judge decided to keep Hinds behind bars, pending further court action. The takedown was a combined effort featuring HSI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Portland Police's Narcotics and Organized Crime squad, and several more agencies collaborating under the Oregon-Idaho HIDTA umbrella. The Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott M. Kerin is to painstakingly prosecute the case.
While the charges sound damning, it's important to remember that a criminal complaint doesn't automatically peg someone as guilty. Hinds, like anyone else, gets to have his day in court and is presumed innocent until proven otherwise. But for now, he'll have to ponder his fate from a cell, as the wheels of justice begin to steadily turn.
