A 21-year-old Honduran national, Bexon Javier Calix-Rivera, has been sentenced to federal prison for trafficking fentanyl in Portland, Oregon. According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon, Calix-Rivera received a 78-month prison term followed by a four-year supervised release.
Officials first took Calix-Rivera into custody back in January 2023, when Portland Police Bureau (PPB) officers arrested him at an arranged drug deal. Upon searching Calix-Rivera's vehicle, they found a cache of fentanyl pills and powder, as well as heroin. He was released the next day after being booked on state charges. The release didn't stop him, Calix-Rivera encountered law enforcement on several more occasions, each time with seizures of drugs or cash. However, despite a string of arrests, he was repeatedly released either on his own recognizance or the same day as the arrest.
In May 2024, reports of a man threatening another with a firearm brought PPB officers to Calix-Rivera once again. This time they confiscated hundreds of fentanyl pills, more of the potent powder, and just under $1,500 in cash. Come early June, he was recognized by officers engaging in what appeared to be drug-related transactions. He attempted to flee when approached but was soon apprehended, yielding a firearm a relatively smaller amount of cash than before, and more fentanyl powder.
It was on June 11, 2024, that a federal grand jury indicted Calix-Rivera on six counts relating to his possession of drugs and a firearm. Eventually, on March 12, 2025, he pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. His case was a collaborative effort by the PPB and Homeland Security Investigations and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassady A. Adams.
The trafficking and abuse of fentanyl remain a serious issue in areas like Oregon where overdose deaths have surged with the substance's availability. Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid significantly more potent than heroin or morphine, is lethal in very small amounts, according to information from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Even a 3-milligram dose is enough to kill an average adult male, underscoring the risk associated with even the smallest distribution of it on the streets.
