A Portland man was found slumped unconscious behind the wheel of his idling truck over the weekend, his foot still pressing the brake, with nearly 100 grams of fentanyl, a loaded gun and more than $2,000 in cash inside the vehicle, according to court records. Police arrested 42-year-old Anthony Reed Ritchey on Saturday after officers responded to reports of a white pickup truck stopped in the southbound lane of North Vancouver Way.
According to The Oregonian/OregonLive, callers reported the truck idling near the Jubitz Truck Stop in North Portland before officers arrived to find Ritchey unconscious with the engine running and the vehicle still in drive. Officers managed to wake him, though court records cited by the outlet say he struggled to turn off the truck before eventually complying with officers and stepping out. He later admitted to consuming fentanyl roughly two hours before falling asleep behind the wheel, per the same court records.
The Jubitz Travel Center is a 26-acre facility off Interstate 5 Exit 307 in North Portland and welcomes more than 2,000 drivers daily, according to Jubitz.
What Officers Found Inside the Truck
A search of the truck turned up 95.5 grams of fentanyl, an electronic scale, unused Ziploc bags, $2,499 in cash and a loaded gun, the court records show. Ritchey is accused of unlawful delivery and unlawful possession of fentanyl, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and DUII, per the same account.
The quantity involved carries significant weight beyond the courtroom. As little as 2 milligrams of fentanyl is considered a potentially lethal dose for most people, according to the CDC, meaning the amount seized from Ritchey's truck theoretically contained tens of thousands of potentially lethal doses of the synthetic opioid.
How Oregon Law Treats the Case
SB 988 creates fentanyl provisions within ORS 475.806 to 475.894. The text says possession of one gram or more is a Class A misdemeanor; possession is a Class C felony if it is a commercial drug offense or involves a substantial quantity under ORS 475.900, according to the Oregon Legislative Information System.
Ritchey is also accused of being a felon in possession of a firearm and DUII.
A Broader Fentanyl Crackdown
A downtown multi-agency operation targeting fentanyl trafficking later expanded to surrounding areas. The operation has resulted in more than 100 arrests, over 100 kilograms of fentanyl seized, and more than 40 firearms recovered through August, Hoodline previously reported.
There are also signs the broader crisis may be easing. The Oregon Health Authority reported in May that statewide overdose deaths fell 16% in 2024 to 1,544 fatalities, marking the state's first annual decline since 2016 after years of steep fentanyl-driven increases. Oregon had recriminalized personal possession of drugs under House Bill 4002, which took full effect in September 2024 and reversed the state's 2020 decriminalization policy.
