Vancouver man suspected of having pound of heroin

Suspect is one of two arrested along I-5 in Oregon

By Craig Brown, Columbian Editor

Published: April 15, 2012, 5:00pm

Jose Manuel Hernandez-Orozco, left, of Vancouver and Gerardo Elizondo-Arias of Fairview, Ore., were booked into the Douglas County Jail on suspicion of unlawful possession and distribution of a controlled substance. Elizondo-Arias was also accused of furnishing false information to a police officer and unlawful possession of fictitious identification.

Two men, one from Vancouver, were arrested Saturday afternoon in southern Oregon after troopers found what they alleged to be a pound of heroin hidden in their car.

Jose Manuel Hernandez-Orozco, 27, of Vancouver was identified as the driver of the 1997 Honda Accord. His passenger was Gerardo Elizono-Arias, 41, of Fairview, Ore., according to an Oregon State Police news release.

The two were stopped for a traffic violation on northbound Interstate 5 just south of Sutherlin, Ore. The stop occurred at 5:54 p.m.

Troopers and a police officer from Sutherlin searched the Honda and found what they said was 1.1 pounds of heroin concealed in the trunk. The drug has an estimated street value of $11,000.

Both men were booked into the Douglas County Jail on suspicion of unlawful possession and distribution of a controlled substance. Elizondo-Arias was also accused of furnishing false information to a police officer, and unlawful possession of fictitious identification.

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