Tattoos indicate one defendant’s association with the European Kindred, a white supremacist prison gang.
Attorney General John Kroger today announced the arraignment of three defendants in a significant drug bust.
“Organized drug trafficking is a major problem in Oregon,” said Attorney General Kroger. “We intend to investigate and prosecute Oregon’s most dangerous drug dealers.”
Dallas Welsh, Nicole Carey and Josh Benham were arraigned today on charges of Unlawful Delivery of Methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a school, Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine, Unlawful Delivery of Cocaine within 1,000 feet of a school, Unlawful Possession of Cocaine, Unlawful Delivery of Heroin within 1,000 feet of a school, Unlawful Possession of Heroin, and Felon in Possession of a firearm.
Bail was set at $1 million each.
A criminal indictment is merely an allegation. Every criminal defendant is considered innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Welsh has tattoos indicating membership in the European Kindred, a white supremacist prison gang that is affiliated with the Aryan Brotherhood and the Ku Klux Klan. The European Kindred was formed in 1998 in Snake River Correctional Institution in Eastern Oregon.
The Oregon Department of Justice jointly investigated the case with the Salem Police Department Street Crimes Unit. Welsh, Carey and Benham were arrested on Friday after a search warrant was served at 4124 Sunnyview Road, No. 60, in Salem. The search warrant was executed with the assistance of the Salem Police Department SWAT team.
Methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, drug records and six firearms were seized in the raid.
Senior Assistant Attorney General Shannon Kmetic is prosecuting the case for the Oregon Department of Justice.
The Oregon Department of Justice’s Criminal Justice Division investigates and prosecutes complex drug trafficking and racketeering cases as well as violent crime, public corruption and the sexual exploitation of children.
Last year, the Department of Justice received a $1,531,744 federal grant to create a multi-agency Drug Crimes Strike Force. The new unit works with the Oregon High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area board, the Oregon Sheriffs’ Association, the Oregon Police Chiefs’ Association and the Oregon District Attorneys’ Association.
Attorney General John Kroger leads the Oregon Department of Justice. The Department’s mission is to fight crime and fraud, protect the environment, improve child welfare, promote a positive business climate, and defend the rights of all Oregonians.
Contact:
Tony Green, (503) 378-6002 tony.green@doj.state.or.us