A gang leader who arranged gun and drug sales partly in Tualatin was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.
Christopher Hermens was sentenced Thursday, Nov. 5, after pleading guilty to transferring firearms to another person while having reasonable cause to believe the recipient intended to use, carry or possess the firearms in connection with felony offenses, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon.
Hermens coordinated the sale of cocaine, marijuana, fentanyl and firearms on at least four occasions to undercover agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) between January and February 2025, according to The Oregonian, which first reported the sentencing. The sales were arranged in Beaverton and Tualatin, The Oregonian reported.
The Oregonian described Hermens as a Beaverton man, and a federal search warrant was executed at his Beaverton home. The U.S. Attorney's Office described him as a Salem man.
Hermens was a leader of the Varrio Catorce set of the Norteño prison gang, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole M. Bockelman, who prosecuted the case.
The ATF began investigating members of the Varrio Catorce Norteño gang in the Salem area in July 2023, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. During the investigation, an undercover ATF agent made a series of controlled purchases of firearms and drugs from Hermens and his associates.
On Jan. 23, 2025, Hermens and a co-conspirator sold five firearms and about one ounce of cocaine to an undercover agent, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. On Feb. 6, 2025, Hermens facilitated the sale of two more firearms, about two pounds of marijuana and about 32 grams of fentanyl. On Feb. 27, 2025, he coordinated a transaction in which an undercover agent purchased about 122 grams of fentanyl from one of his associates.
Beaverton police stopped Hermens on March 19, 2025, after clocking him at 114 mph on Highway 26, The Oregonian reported. He did not stop until he crashed at 185th Avenue and TV Highway, then fled on foot. When officers caught him, he had about three ounces of fentanyl and wore a gold chain bearing a Huelga bird pendant with engravings reading "Norte," "V" and "C," Bockelman said. The Huelga bird is a symbol appropriated by the Norteño gang.
On July 22, 2025, federal agents searched his Beaverton home and found 19 guns, including a rifle under his bed and a pistol in another bedroom, along with more than 1,500 rounds of ammunition, according to Bockelman.
At the time of his arrest, Hermens was on parole for robbery and a convicted felon. He also pleaded guilty in Washington County Circuit Court to state charges stemming from the same crimes, including distribution of fentanyl, attempting to elude police and failure to perform the duties of a driver after he collided with a car during the chase, The Oregonian reported.
Defense lawyer Per C. Olson and the prosecutor jointly recommended the 10-year term as part of a resolution of both the federal case and state charges. Hermens also agreed to forfeit firearms and other property connected to his crimes. He will serve three years of supervised release after prison.
U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford said Hermens "repeatedly trafficked firearms and dangerous controlled substances, including fentanyl, while leveraging gang ties and criminal associates to expand his illegal activities."
Hermens told U.S. District Judge Adrienne Nelson he plans to use his prison term to improve himself so he will not return to a life of crime when released, The Oregonian reported.
