Following an investigation that started back in 2021, a Salem man was found guilty of cocaine trafficking and given a nine-year prison sentence.
The U.S. Department of Justice claimed that Rico Anthony Russell Rigutto was sentenced after investigators found thousands of fentanyl tablets, dozens of pounds of methamphetamines, and other substances in his hands.
According to court filings, it all started on December 14, 2021, when investigators planned to purchase fake oxycodone tablets from Rigutto as part of a narcotics trafficking sting.
“Investigators observed him arrive and depart the meeting location, after which they conducted a traffic stop on Rigutto,” according to U.S. DOJ.
About 3,000 fake fentanyl-containing pills and a gun with a conversion switch attachment to turn it from a semi-automatic to a fully automatic weapon were discovered and confiscated by detectives during a search of Rigutto’s vehicle.
Using a search warrant they had acquired, investigators later investigated Rigutto’s house and found $100,000 in cash, 28 pounds of meth, six pounds of heroin, and 20,000 more fake pills containing fentanyl.
Additionally, 15 firearms, including an AR-15 rifle and another handgun with a conversion switch, were discovered and seized.
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In 2022, Rigutto was charged with drug possession and firearms possession by a Portland grand jury.
He entered a guilty plea to carrying fentanyl with the intent to distribute in 2023, but less than a year later, he did not show up for his sentencing.
After a warrant was issued for Rigutto’s arrest, the U.S. Marshals Service located him and took him into custody for not showing up. During the arrest, they also discovered another firearm.
Rigutto received a sentence of five years of supervised release in addition to nine years in jail.
