Bellingham police arrest man suspected of selling heroin

Bellingham police arrested a man Thursday who is suspected of selling heroin, following a four-month investigation by the department’s Special Investigations Unit.

Brandon John Puente was booked into Whatcom County Jail on suspicion of three-counts of delivery of a controlled substance and is being held on $35,000 bail.

According to court documents, Puente had a previous charge for controlled substance possession from 2017 dismissed and was found guilty of taking a vehicle without permission, malicious mischief and unlawful firearm possession in 2017. He also had a warrant on a DUI in another jurisdiction.

According to information provided by Lt. Claudia Murphy in an email Friday to The Bellingham Herald, the Special Investigations Unit has been investigating Puente since August, and on three occasions he sold heroin to a proven and reliable informant in controlled buys.

The substance purchased was field tested and showed the presumptive presence of heroin after the first two buys, Murphy said, but did not test positive after the third. Murphy said that is “not that unusual” and based on the officer’s training and experience, the substance appeared to be “like heroin.” It will be shipped to the Washington State Patrol lab for testing if needed for court.

Murphy said the exact weight of the sales is not being released to protect the identity of the confidential informant.

At 9:45 p.m. Thursday, Puente was contacted near 50 Bellis Fair Parkway by an officer who recognized him and was aware that he had probable cause for his arrest, Murphy said, Puente was taken into custody without incident.

This story was originally published November 23, 2018 at 3:00 PM.