3 men posed as DEA agents, stole 200 pounds of marijuana from Oregon home

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- A pair of Texas men were sentenced to prison on Wednesday, while another man from San Antonio pleaded guilty to traveling to Oregon to commit an armed robbery while posing as DEA agents in 2022.

Nevin Morales, 23, was sentenced to over 11 years in prison with five years’ supervised release, while Michael Acuna, 23, was sentenced to over five years in prison with and four years’ supervised release.

"The sum of restitution they each must pay to victims will be determined at a later date," authorities said.

Juan Conchas, 23, pleaded guilty to conspiring to interfere with commerce by robbery and conspiring to possess marijuana with the intent to distribute. He faces a maximum of 40 years in prison. He will be sentenced on July 15.

This all stems from an incident on March 12, 2022, when deputies from the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office responded to an armed robbery at a rural home.

"The deputies found a residence with a closed driveway gate and two empty vehicles with Texas license plates in the driveway with their doors open. Deputies saw several people running toward the back of the property and found victims inside the house. The victims reported that armed individuals dressed in what appeared to be DEA attire and wearing body armor arrived at the property and used zip ties and duct tape to restrain several of them," officials said. "The deputies searched the property and found large plastic totes containing packaged marijuana in the buildings and vehicles. They also found body armor, firearms, ammunition, shell casings, and badges that resembled those carried by DEA agents along the path that Morales, Acuna, Conchas and others used to flee the property."

Investigators discovered that the three men traveled from Texas to Oregon to steal over 200 pounds of marijuana.

The three men were indicted on Sept. 1, 2022, charging them with conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, conspiracy to possess marijuana with intent to distribute, and using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Morales and Acuna were located and arrested in San Antonio on Oct. 6, 2022. Conchas was also arrested in San Antonio one week later.