An informant helped investigators witness three drug buys before the February raid on a Longview home, court records show.
Five people were arrested in the raid, in which 10 were originally detained, and each have been charged.
The investigation started in January after authorities received a tip that Caleb Polzel, 30, of Longview was selling fentanyl from a house in the 600 block of 32nd Avenue, a few blocks south of Omelettes & More off Washington Way.
Each of the supervised drug buys were secretly recorded and law enforcement obtained messages between Polzel and the informant setting up arrangements to purchase fentanyl, according to the arresting report.
Armed with the recordings and a search warrant, the Lower Columbia SWAT team was dispatched Feb. 11 to the home, where authorities report finding digital scales, packaging materials and drug pipes.
The SWAT team used loudspeakers, demanding those inside to exit.
Cowlitz County records show Polzel does not own the home.
Officers detained 10 people, but only five were booked on warrants or new drug charges, including Polzel.
He was formally charged three days after his arrest with three counts of violating the Uniform Controlled Substances Act and one count of unlawful use of a building for drug purposes.
Cowlitz County Superior Court Judge Jill Karmy set Polzel's bail at $2,500, and a public defender was appointed to represent him. His next hearing is set for March 2.
During the raid, officers also arrested Jermaine Brown, 43, of Longview, who they suspect was staying in a shed on Polzel's property, according to Brown's arrest report.
Inside the shed, officers report finding what they believe were two separate packages of about 7 grams of meth, as well as about 1 gram of heroin, scales covered in white powder, ammunition and a handgun believed to be stolen.
The shed also had new retail items such as headphones, tools and clothing, the majority of which was still in the package or had store tags on them, the report states.
Authorities speculate he was taking stolen items as drug payment.
He was charged Feb. 13 in Cowlitz County Superior Court with two counts of violating the Uniform Control Substances Act, second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, and second-degree possessing stolen property.
His bail was set at $15,000.
He pleaded not guilty on Tuesday. His next court date is scheduled for March 10.
Jerome Garner, 38, of Kelso, was also arrested during the raid on suspicion of third-degree theft and possession of a controlled substance. He's also facing a contempt of court charge, and his bail stands at $4,000.
Shasta Shaw, 25, of Kelso, was also arrested, and has already been sentenced for three counts of possession of a controlled substance. She is expected to be released from the Cowlitz County Jail on March 16.
According to a July police report, Shaw is known to local authorities as a mid-level Cowlitz County drug dealer.
From her July arrest, she still faces one count of violating the Uniform Controlled Substance Act near a school bus stop in Cowlitz County Superior Court. She has a hearing, regarding that case, set for Feb. 23.
Faith Cadle, 21, of Toledo was also picked up during the raid on a department of corrections felony warrant, the Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office reports.
