Police surveillance pays off; pair arrested

By Barney Lerten, KTVZ.COM

Two men allegedly delivering a quarter-pound of methamphetamine worth almost $12,000 to Redmond were arrested on the north side of town by drug agents who'd been watching for their car, officials said Monday. The pair remained in the Deschutes County jail, being held for federal immigration officials. 

Armando Diaz Diaz, 35, of Metolius, and Jose Castor, 31, of the Madras area, were stopped around 6 p.m. Friday on Highway 97 by Redmond police and detectives who had set up a surveillance operation in northern Deschutes County to catch the pair, said Sgt. Mitchell Meyer of the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team.

CODE Team detectives had learned during a separate investigation a large amount of meth was scheduled for delivery to Redmond Friday evening. They also developed information identifying the suspects and their vehicle, a 1990 Honda Civic, he said.

The quarter-pound of meth was found in the vehicle, along with packaging material, Meyer said. Diaz Diaz was driving and Castor was the passenger, he added.

Both were lodged on meth possession, delivery and possession charges, with bail set at $30,000 for Diaz Diaz and Castor at $25,000. Both were held for federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents; Diaz-Diaz also had a no-bail "hold" out of Clatsop County, a jail officer said.