TIGARD, Ore. — What federal officials initially billed as a drug bust involving 50 million lethal doses of heroin may have actually involved almost no heroin at all, according to court documents.

The case dates back to January 2024, when four men were arrested at a Motel 6 in Tigard after investigators said they were transporting a massive shipment of liquid heroin from Yakima, Washington, to the Portland area.

Officials said at the time that the men were driving a rented U-Haul truck with eight 55-gallon barrels inside and that seven of the barrels tested positive for heroin. Six men were eventually charged in connection with the case.

But analysis provided by a forensic chemist hired by a defense attorney has cast doubt on those findings. A chemist tested the barrels and determined th

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