Cupcake’s meth operation squashed

Police say they seized a large amount of high-quality methamphetamine in two drug busts involving the same suspect in Oak Harbor.

Detective Carl Seim, drug enforcement officer with the Oak Harbor Police, said the investigation started in January after investigators received a tip that someone nicknamed “Cup” or “Cupcake” was selling a lot of meth on North Whidbey.

Seim said investigators were able to identity 23-year-old Oak Harbor resident Michael Koepke as the suspect.

Oak Harbor Police, Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Island County Sheriff’s Office worked together on the case. A confidential informant completed a total of three controlled buys of meth from Koepke, the detective said.

Seim said he obtained search warrants for Koepke, but had trouble locating him. Finally two weeks ago, the police got a tip and found Koepke in a car at the AM/PM gas station in Oak Harbor.

According to Seim, Koepke didn’t have any drugs on him, but there was a backpack sitting next to him in the car. Seim eventually got a search warrant for the backpack, but they had to free Koepke in the meantime.

Inside the backpack, the officers found 1.7 ounces of meth, 3.6 ounces of marijuana and $2,600 in cash.

Then on Wednesday, investigators got a tip that Koepke was in the Crosby Road area. Koepke was in a taxi with his girlfriend; the police arrested him after the taxi stopped at an apartment building.

Koepke was caught carrying 2.5 ounces of meth, a bag of Sudafed pills, $486 in cash and a baggy of suspected cocaine, Seim reported.

Seim said Koepke was arrested on suspicion of six counts of possession of meth with intent to deliver.

“He’s one of the biggest dealers on the island,” Seim alleged. “It’s a good thing to get him off the streets.”

Seim said investigators have heard from people in the drug scene that Oak Harbor is referred to as “Little Seattle” because of the proliferation of meth and other drugs.

“I don’t know how true that is,” he said, “but that’s what they are saying.”

Contact Whidbey News Times Assistant editor Jessie Stensland at jstensland@whidbeynewsgroup.com or 360.675.6611 ext. 5056.

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