A man who was caught hauling over 100 pounds of methamphetamine from California to Oregon in two separate stops over a 10-month period was sentenced to six and a half years in federal prison.
In May 2023, state police arrested Jason Michael Nord on Interstate 5 northbound in Lane County and seized 57 pounds of methamphetamine located in the trunk of his rented orange Renegade Jeep.
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According to Assistant United States Attorney Peter Sax, the pills were found in 60 individually wrapped packages inside a black duffel bag.
According to Sax, state police seized the drugs but did not arrest Nord in order to avoid disturbing a larger federal investigation into a Mexican drug trafficking organization.
Ten months later, on March 1, 2024, state police pulled over a white rental Jeep driven by Nord near Cottage Grove.
With a warrant, federal authorities searched the Jeep and discovered an additional 15 kilograms of methamphetamine in a circular bundle, which is equivalent to approximately 33 pounds. According to Sax, the agents discovered a further 17 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in a duffel bag inside a suitcase.
Agents subsequently entered Nord’s Portland house and discovered just under a pound of methamphetamine in his bedroom, as well as counterfeit oxycodone pills comprised of fentanyl, Sax said.
Officers seized around 108 pounds of methamphetamine between interstate stops and the raid on his residence, according to authorities.
Nord pleaded guilty in August to having methamphetamine with intent to distribute.
Citing the “huge” amount of drugs and Nord’s ongoing drug trafficking even after he was “caught red-handed” by police in May 2023, Sax advocated for a sentence of slightly over six years to safeguard the community and prevent Nord from future drug dealing.
Assistant Federal Public Defender Melissa Chinn, Nord’s defense attorney, sought a six-year prison sentence.
Nord, now 45, has used methamphetamine and alcohol to numb his life for the past 25 years after his best buddy drowned at the age of 17, according to his lawyer. Nord was with a friend at the time and felt “significant guilt,” according to Chinn.
Nord’s 30s, according to Chinn, were a “blur,” as his drug and alcohol addiction consumed nearly all of his adult life. She stated that he has been in treatment since his incarceration and now has a counselor and mentors who attended the sentencing along with Nord’s father.
Nord informed the judge that he accepted responsibility for his offenses, apologized for his acts, and acknowledged the devastation he had caused to his family, friends, and community. He stated that he wanted to concentrate on ongoing treatment.
“Without treatment,” he replied, “the cycle will continue.”
U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut justified the prosecutor’s suggested sentence. She acknowledged Nord’s difficult life, addiction, and acceptance of responsibility but had to consider the gravity of his act.
Immergut said she suspected the crime was motivated by more than addiction, noting that he continued to transport significant amounts of cocaine even after being stopped but not arrested, and that Nord had other drug paraphernalia and scales in his home.
“That is behavior that is so damaging to our society,” the judge added.
