Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez on Wednesday announced the arrest and conviction of 21-year-old Eber David Barahona Cruz, who prosecutors say turned a slice of downtown Portland into his personal fentanyl storefront. Court records and police reports describe Cruz carrying out dozens of hand-to-hand deals along SW 12th and SW 13th avenues, with officers stopping him in separate incidents in June and November 2024. Vasquez has set a 1 p.m. news conference and signaled that his office will release body-camera footage and images of the drugs seized.
Court documents state that Cruz was found with individually packaged fentanyl powder and fentanyl pills during separate encounters in June and November 2024, and that officers recovered a knife during one of those stops, according to KATU. The filings allege he repeatedly sold directly to customers on that two-block downtown stretch and that investigators built their case through multiple arrests and follow-up reviews. Prosecutors say the conviction is based on the evidence gathered in those incidents.
Vasquez Casts Bust As Part Of Fentanyl Crackdown
Vasquez has been pushing a tougher line on street-level drug dealing, including a proposal that people who do not complete the county's deflection program face prosecution, according to OPB. Earlier this year, city and county leaders declared a fentanyl state of emergency to coordinate enforcement and treatment in downtown hotspots, a move detailed by AP.
Courts, Judges And The Downtown Response
Local judges have already tightened pretrial rules for fentanyl-related charges. Last year, Multnomah County's presiding judge ordered that many fentanyl cases be held for a first appearance in court in an effort to reduce the number of repeat street-level defendants, as reported by Willamette Week. That shift, paired with Vasquez's policies, has given prosecutors more leverage in downtown fentanyl enforcement and prosecutions.
Vasquez and an officer who played a central role in the case are scheduled to speak at the 1 p.m. briefing, and the DA's office has told reporters it will release body-camera video and photos of the seized drugs to the public, according to KATU. The office says the release is meant to give the public a clearer look at how street-level dealing operates and to bolster ongoing enforcement and community safety efforts.
