Honduran National Unlawfully Residing in Oregon Sentenced to Federal Prison for Trafficking Fentanyl in Portland and San Francisco

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

PORTLAND, Ore.— Ermin Izaguirre-Estrada, 22, a Honduran national unlawfully residing in Oregon, was sentenced Monday to 70 months in federal prison and three years’ supervised release for trafficking fentanyl in downtown Portland and San Francisco, California.

According to court documents, on August 9, 2023, as part of a fentanyl enforcement mission targeting fentanyl dealers in downtown Portland, officers observed Izaguirre-Estrada holding what appeared to be blue fentanyl pills in his hand. The officers arrested Izaguirre-Estrada and seized a loaded firearm, more than 6,000 fentanyl pills, fentanyl powder, and cash.

On August 16, 2023, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a two-count indictment charging Izaguirre-Estrada with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and alien in possession of a firearm.

On September 26, 2023, a federal grand jury in the Northern District of California returned a two-count indictment charging Izaguirre-Estrada with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, based on a prior arrest in April 2023.

On April 30, 2025, Izaguirre-Estrada pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, resolving both of his criminal cases.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) Narcotics and Organized Crime Unit, the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HITDA) Interdiction Team (HIT), the PPB Central Precinct Neighborhood Response Team and PPB Bike Squad. It was prosecuted by Scott M. Kerin, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

The Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates with and provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement initiatives.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 80 to 100 times more powerful than morphine and 30 to 50 times more powerful than heroin. A 2-milligram dose of fentanyl—a few grains of the substance—is enough to kill an average adult male. The wide availability of illicit fentanyl in Oregon has caused a dramatic increase in overdose deaths throughout the state.

If you are in immediate danger, please call 911.

If you or someone you know suffers from addiction, please call the Lines for Life substance abuse helpline at 1-800-923-4357 or visit www.linesforlife.org. Phone support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also text “RecoveryNow” to 839863 between 2pm and 6pm Pacific Time daily.