PORT ANGELES — Arrests were made, charges were filed, guilty pleas were entered, and two people were sentenced in a wave of recent activity by the Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team, or OPNET.
“Right now, OPNET has about 40 cases that are making their way through the court system in one form or another,” said Jason Viada, OPNET supervisor.
Jacob D. Carter, 20, of Port Angeles, was arrested July 25 and charged July 30 with three counts of delivery of a controlled substance after he allegedly sold methamphetamine to an undercover OPNET informant on three occasions in the summer of 2011.
Detectives alleged that he sold 1.6 grams to the informant for $150 over a three-week period.
Carter, who pleaded not guilty Aug. 3, awaits an Oct. 15 trial in Clallam County Superior Court. He was released on his own recognizance shortly after his arrest.
“The Carter case is just one small part of a much larger ongoing methamphetamine investigation,” Viada said.
“Arrests like this serve as examples of how people who sell illegal drugs to OPNET do not become aware of it until over a year later at the time they are arrested.”
Viada said the Carter case is related to the July 31 arrests of Rebecca M. Daarud and Phillip A. Graham, both of Port Angeles.
Daarud, 29, and Graham, 53, were arrested in a residence at the corner of Ninth and Peabody streets for investigation of possession and delivery of methamphetamine.
Daarud was charged with three counts of delivery of methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to manufacture or deliver methamphetamine and one court of possession with intent to manufacture or deliver marijuana.
She posted a $5,000 bail bond on Aug. 3 and pleaded not guilty on Friday. Her trial is scheduled for Oct. 22.
Graham was charged with possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine, possession with intent to deliver marijuana and unlawful use of a building for drug purposes.
He posted a $5,000 bail bond on Aug. 2 and pleaded not guilty on Friday. His trial is set for Oct. 15.
The arrests were made at 821 S. Peabody St., Port Angeles, where an OPNET informant allegedly purchased methamphetamine on at least three occasions earlier this summer.
A search of a home, trailer, and shop at the location revealed a substantial quantity of methamphetamine, firearms, and a bullet-proof vest, Viada said.
“The vast majority of cases are certainly in Clallam County,” Viada said in a Friday telephone interview.
“The activity seems to be centered in Port Angeles.”
OPNET consists of members of the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office, Port Angeles Police Department, Sequim Police Department, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, the State Patrol and U.S. Border Patrol.
“OPNET’s function in our region is to work closely with all other agencies across the region,” Viada said.
Joseph J. Neske, 34, of the Port Angeles area, pleaded guilty in federal court Aug. 3 to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.
Neske was part of an OPNET investigation into a heroin trafficking organization that began in Port Angeles in the summer of 2011.
“So that is one small part of a whole bunch of cases,” Viada said.
OPNET worked with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on the Neske case.
“This case serves as a good example of OPNET working together with other law enforcement agencies when drug trafficking impacts not only our neighborhoods, but areas beyond the North Olympic Peninsula as well,” Viada said.
In a related case, Cheryl King, 51, of Port Angeles, was sentenced July 31 to 20 months in prison after she pleaded guilty to two counts of delivery of heroin.
OPNET purchased heroin from King on at least four occasions in the summer of 2011, Viada said.
Detectives alleged that King sold nine grams of heroin for $410 over a three-week period in July 2011, according to the certification for probable cause.
King was arrested in January of 2012. A judge issued an arrest warrant after King failed to appear for a June 21 court hearing. She was arrested later that day.
Dalasa A. Lundgren, 41, of Port Angeles, pleaded guilty July 18 to delivery of a controlled oxycodone. She was sentenced on July 31 to two years probation.
“The Lundgren case was part of the oxycodone case that we worked a few months ago,” Viada said.
“She is one of the defendants in a big group of seven that came through.”
Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
