Tale of a bag full of drugs marked ‘Definitely not a bag full of drugs’

When police in Portland, Oregon spotted a bag marked “Definitely not a bag full of drugs”, they were ‘definitely’ not convinced! When they opened it, they realised it was ‘definitely’ full of drugs. To be precise, the bag had 79 blue fentanyl pills, three fake oxycodone tablets and 230g of methamphetamine.

Portland police bureau spotted a car Tuesday night, which was earlier stolen and was now occupied by a man and a woman. Officers noted that the ignition of the car had been tampered with. They pulled over the duo and then spotted the bag.

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“Inside the vehicle was a substantial number of packaged drugs including methamphetamine and blue fentanyl pills, multiple scales, money and a loaded firearm,” said Portland police public information officer Sergeant Kevin Allen. He added that the duo was arrested on the spot.

A photo of the bust, however, took the internet by storm as people observed the drugs in fact had been stashed in a bag reading, “Definitely not a bag full of drugs.”

The duo – Reginald Reynolds, 35, and Mia Baggenstos, 37 – are now facing charges of drug possession and possession of a stolen vehicle.

Notably, Oregon previouslyallowed people to carry small amounts of hard drugs under a2020 act.

Under Ballot Measure 110, drug users no longer received criminal penalties, but were instead served with a $100 ticket, which could be voided if the recipient got a needs assessment.

This was done to redirect city funding from criminalisation and toward the treatment of substance-use disorders. However, support for this legislation faltered among the people as the rate of overdose and homelessness rose throughout the state during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In September, the state recriminalised drug possession. Starting Sept. 1, possession of small amounts of illicit substances once became a misdemeanour crime.

(With inputs from agencies)