Portland Man Caught Selling Drugs to Minors Online Faces Federal Charges

PORTLAND, Ore.-A Portland man is facing federal charges after he was caught using Telegram, an encrypted messaging service, to sell various controlled substances to minors.

Rocky Allan Rainwater, 24, has been charged by criminal complaint with distributing and possessing with intent to distribute cocaine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

According to court documents, early in 2024, law enforcement obtained information that an individual, later determined to be Rainwater, was allegedly using Telegram to advertise the sale of various illegal narcotics including cocaine, psilocybin mushrooms, MDMA, ketamine, LSD, Xanax, Adderall, and marijuana. In addition to delivering drugs locally, Rainwater, using the Telegram username "smokeyinpdx," also advertised that he would sell and ship drugs to out-of-state customers. Investigators soon determined that Rainwater was advertising and selling drugs to both adults and minors.

On March 22, 2024, law enforcement arrested Rainwater while he was engaged in a cocaine sale. Investigators searched his vehicle and located a loaded .22 caliber pistol, 73 grams of cocaine, 465 grams of psilocybin mushrooms, and smaller quantities of LSD and dextroamphetamine. A subsequent search of Rainwater's Portland residence returned additional quantities of cocaine, LSD, and methamphetamine, an electronic scale, .22 caliber ammunition, and $1,490 in cash.

Rainwater made his first appearance in federal court Monday before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. Today, he was ordered detained pending further court proceedings.

This case was investigated by the FBI and Clackamas County Interagency Task Force (CCITF). It is being prosecuted by Scott M. Kerin, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

CCITF, led by the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office, 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 task force is comprised of members of the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office, Canby Police Department, Oregon State Police, FBI, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). CCITF is supported by the Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program.

A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.