Feds Bust Drug Ring With Ties to Oakland

Federal agents say they may have shut down an old-fashioned style drug-running operation with ties to Oakland.

Agents say Amtrak was being used to move Oxycontin, a prescription drug often abused for it's morphine-like high. An ex-convict named Lonell Massey bought a last-minute ticket for $360 from Oakland to Seattle on the Coast Starlight, according to authorities.

A drug task force was waiting for Massey when he got to Seattle. They say he reeked of marijuana and tried to run but undercover agents caught him.

Massey was carrying 1,650 oxycontin pills with a street value of $126,000, according to agents. He apparently told agents he was just a courier set to earn a $10,000 payday for carrying the stash.

With changes to prescibing and manufacturing rules, users want old pills that are easier to crush and snort. The new style pills are harder to crush.

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