INET busts Moses Lake man on drug charges

MOSES LAKE – A Moses Lake man is in custody after detectives from the Grant County’s Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team, Moses Lake Police Officers and Special Agents from the State Gambling Commission arrested him on suspicion of dealing drugs.

Herculano F. Oronia, 63, was arrested around 10 a.m. on Sept. 10 near the 1100 block of Pioneer Way in Moses Lake. Detectives executed two search warrants on Oronia’s two homes and found a significant amount of cocaine, scales and packaging material. ?

According to the Grant County sheriff's office, Oronia had been arrested and convicted of drug dealing in the past. He allegedly continued his illegal narcotics trafficking in the Longview Tracts area of Moses Lake, Sheriff Tom Jones said, until INET detectives caught up to him and conducted several controlled buys of cocaine. ?

Oronia faces criminal charges of possession of cocaine with intent to deliver in a school zone. If convicted, the school zone enhancements alone would put Oronia in prison for a minimum of 24 months. ?

The arrest was the result of a nearly year-long investigation by INET Detectives, who have been working to combat the distribution and trafficking of illegal narcotics in Moses Lake and Grant County.

Supervised by the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, INET includes detectives from the Sheriff’s Office, Washington State Patrol and Moses Lake Police Department.