Ricky Fontaine, 32, of Bend has been sentenced to 11 years in federal prison for trafficking high volumes of fentanyl into Central Oregon.

Fontaine was arrested on April 1, 2023 in a traffic stop coordinated by the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Street Crimes Unit. At the time, authorities had information suggesting Fontaine was actively selling drugs, including fentanyl. Fontaine also had an active felony arrest warrant for an unrelated crime. 

Inside his vehicle, detectives found more than 1,000 grams of fentanyl, a handgun, scales and packaging materials; they also found photographs of Fontaine posing with large quantities of packaged pills. A second search warrant issued for Fontaine’s home led to the discovery of more fentanyl pills, scales and packaging materials.

On Dec. 4, 2024 he pleaded not guilty to possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute. 

Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid that has an increasingly high correlation with overdose deaths across the United States and in Oregon. It is approximately 100 times stronger than morphine and 50 times stronger than heroin. It is often combined with opioids, but is also commonly incorporated into illicitly produced pills, such as oxycodone.

For resources on how to treat a fentanyl overdose or for information on fentanyl addiction, more information can be found on the Deschutes County Opioid Overdose Prevention and Response webpage.

Reporter: mowen@bendbulletin.com, 541-633-2185