Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team (JNET) detectives and Centralia law enforcement arrested a suspected mid-level drug dealer and seized approximately 100 suspected fentanyl pills and a variety of other drugs from Peppertree West Motor Inn and RV and Mobile Home Park in Centralia on Tuesday.
“Since January 1, 2023, the Centralia Police Department has responded to eight reported overdoses in the Peppertree RV/Mobile Home Park. One of the reported overdoses in the RV Park resulted in a death,” JNET stated in a news release on Thursday.
Law enforcement served a search warrant on an RV located at Lot 305 in the Peppertree RV Park belonging to a suspected drug dealer, identified as Ronnie Wayne Lake, 43, of Centralia, on July 11, according to the news release.
While executing that search warrant, law enforcement located approximately one ounce of suspected heroin, one ounce of suspected meth, over 100 Xanax bars and approximately 100 blue M-30 pills suspected to be fentanyl, according to documents filed in Lewis County Superior Court on Wednesday.
Lake was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail just after 8:55 p.m. on Monday, July 11, according to jail records. He was charged Wednesday in Lewis County Superior Court with three counts of violation of the uniform controlled substance act, each of which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Bail has been set at $20,000 and arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, July 20.
JNET detectives reportedly identified Lake “as involved in the drug trade as a mid-level drug dealer” in “late 2022,” according to court documents.
Lake was reportedly “involved in reviving subjects at the Peppertree who had overdosed from fentanyl use” in 2023 and, in a subsequent interview with law enforcement, Lake allegedly “admitted to providing the drugs that caused the overdoses,” according to court documents.
JNET detectives were reportedly conducting surveillance on Lake’s RV on July 11 when a blue Audi A4 stopped at the RV spent an amount of time that a detective noted “was similar to a drug customer, but a little longer, as if it was a source of supply who would have to count out pills or weigh drugs,” according to court documents.
Two detectives stopped the Audi as it was leaving the Peppertree and, after a K-9 alerted on the car and the occupants consented to a search, detectives “located several hundred blue fentanyl pills and a small amount of methamphetamine,” according to court documents. The occupants allegedly told law enforcement “the pills and the methamphetamine came from Mr. Lake,” which prompted detectives to seek the search warrant on Lake’s RV, according to court documents.
When interviewed after his arrest, Lake allegedly “admitted to having many drug customers” and “stated he supplies opiates to friends to help them from being sick,” according to court documents.
“This is an ongoing investigation and no other information is being released at this time,” JNET stated Thursday in a news release.
The Centralia Police Department encourages anyone with information relevant to the case to contact the department at 360-330-7680 or contact Lewis County Communications at 360-740-1105.
“The poisonous effects of fentanyl are continuing to have a deadly impact on our communities,” JNET stated in a news release, adding, “The Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team and detectives from the Centralia Police Department and Chehalis Police Department, are committed to identifying and arresting those who choose to sell and distribute poisonous drugs in our communities.”
Local resources for substance abuse disorders and recovery can be found through the Recovery Navigator Program at https://www.grbhaso.org/rnp or by calling the crisis line at 800-803-8833.
Information about fentanyl can be found online at https://www.dea.gov/factsheets/fentanyl.
