Police arrest 2, seize 11K fentanyl pills in southern Oregon

JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. — Police arrested two people in southern Oregon and seized 11,000 fentanyl pills from their vehicle as they were driving up to southwest Washington from California on Sept. 17, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office reported.

Martin Rangel, 57, also known by the name of Marco Miranda-Medina, and his girlfriend, 24-year-old Tatum Littau, will be charged in Jackson County, Oregon. They face a charge of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.

The arrests and seizure were the result of an investigation that lasted nearly a year. It started in October 2023 when Rangel was arrested after Clark County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) detectives, who had contacted Rangel at his Vancouver home while they were investigating an earlier drive-by shooting at the same location, found evidence of drug trafficking in his home, including methamphetamine, fentanyl, cash and a gun, CCSO said. He posted bail and was released from the Clark County Jail.

Nine months later, in July 2024, CCSO opened another investigation into Rangel after receiving a tip that he had a large amount of fentanyl he was planning to distribute. According to CCSO, detectives learned that Rangel frequently traveled to California, where he’d obtain large amounts of fentanyl to deal in Clark County. They found out he was returning from California on Aug. 25 and arrested him for felony warrants from the first investigation in 2023. He was extradited to Clark County and released.

On Sept. 17, detectives found out Rangel had again traveled to California. This time, he was traveling with his girlfriend, Littau, who had several felony arrest warrants in Clark County. CCSO reached out to the Medford (Oregon) Police Department and the Medford Area Drug and Gang Enforcement Task Force, who intercepted Rangel and Littau on their way back from California and arrested them, locating the 11,000 fentanyl pills when they searched the car.