(The Center Square) – A man from Gresham, Oregon, is facing federal charges this week after being caught using Telegram to sell party drugs to minors.
Timothy Jeffrey Monahan, 31, was charged by criminal complaint with “possessing with intent to distribute cocaine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime,” a release said.
“Drug trafficking has had an alarming impact on children in our communities,” said Natalie Wight, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. “We thank the FBI, Clackamas County Interagency Task Force, and all our law enforcement partners for their continued focus on holding accountable individuals that target children.”
Earlier this year, law enforcement received information that Monahan had allegedly used Telegram to illegally advertise the sale of drugs such as cocaine, LSD, ketamine, DMT, psilocybin mushrooms, marijuana, and vaping products.
On Telegram, Monahan allegedly used the usernames “Thepdxyokai” and “Yokai” to advertise narcotics sales and used a drug runner to deliver these drugs to minors on his behalf.
Law enforcement executed a federal search warrant on Monahan’s residence and vehicle on June 7, 2024. During the search, law enforcement found and seized varying amounts of cocaine and psilocybin mushrooms, two loaded firearms, drug packaging materials and scales, and over $106,000 in cash.
Once law enforcement arrested him, Monahan admitted that he operated the Telegram accounts that sold narcotics, primarily to minors.
Monahan also admitted that he traded drugs for sex acts and sexually explicit photos of his customers.
Monahan made his initial federal court appearance on Monday, June 10, before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. The judge ordered Monahan to be detained pending further court proceedings.
The FBI and the Clackamas County Interagency Task Force (CCITF) investigated the case; Scott M. Kerin, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, is prosecuting it.
“A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty,” the release said.
The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office leads the CCITF. It “works to disrupt and dismantle drug trafficking organizations operating in and around Clackamas County, and reduce illegal drugs and related crimes throughout the community,” the release said.
The CCITF includes members from the following organizations, according to the release: Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, Canby Police Department, Oregon State Police, FBI, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
CCITF also receives support from the Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program.
“The Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates with and provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement initiatives,” the release said.
The news comes as Oregon lawmakers recriminalized drug possession this spring in response to the negative consequences of the 2020 voter-approved Measure 110 that decriminalized it.
Once the measure became law, fentanyl-related drug overdose deaths more than doubled in Oregon.
