Cresencio Moreno Aguirre, 41, and 11 Others Charged in Washington Drug Trafficking Ring

Twelve people are in custody today following a second round of arrests in an investigation involving armed drug trafficking, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman.

Most of those arrested today will appear in U.S. District Court in Seattle and Tacoma this afternoon.

“Even after the arrest of 24 defendants in April, law enforcement pursued the higher-level sources of the drugs that were distributed in our community,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. “I am pleased that prosecutors in our office and law enforcement officers continued to work up the chain of this trafficking organization making large drug seizures and taking guns off the street.”

“Over the course of two years, more than 250 FBI employees have contributed to this investigation to fight back against this widespread drug-dealing conspiracy,” said Donald M. Voiret, FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Seattle Field Office. “I am incredibly proud of the hard work of my office and our partners to remove dozens of firearms and toxic drugs such as fentanyl and cocaine from our communities.”

The Seattle Police Department (SPD) also commended the collaborative effort in fighting the rise of violent crime. “The recent rise of violent crime – specifically crimes involving the trafficking of firearms and illegal drugs – is of great concern to the SPD, which is why the SPD values its partnerships with federal and local law enforcement agencies. By working together, we increase our ability to arrest dangerous offenders, get them off our streets, and weapons out of their hands,” said Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz.

During the course of the investigation, law enforcement seized 84 firearms, including stolen firearms and ghost guns, 16 kilos of cocaine, and about 50-thousand fentanyl tainted pills. In one traffic stop in January 2021 on I-5, they seized 6 kilos of cocaine that defendant Arambula was bringing back from southern California.

In all, law enforcement has seized more than $1 million in cash. They also seized a pill press used for manufacturing fentanyl tainted pills, three pounds of methamphetamine, and some heroin.

Those indicted in this round include:

Cresencio Moreno Aguirre, 41, of Kent, Washington

David William Armer, 41, Spanaway, Washington

Samuel Duarte Avila, 47, of Renton, Washington

Elyas Mohamed Kerow, 27, of Seattle

Brett David Radcliff, 21, of Puyallup, Washington

Sergio Reyes-Pina, 39, of Seattle

Herbert Dean Scott Jr., 49, of Burien, Washington

Rafael Ramirez, 49, Pacific, Washington

Cesar Arambula, 39, of Kent, Washington

Raul Barreto Bejines, 50, of Redmond, Washington

Jorge Aguilar Duran, 42, Issaquah, Washington

Viet Phi Nguyen, 34, of Seattle

Two people were arrested this morning who are being charged separately by criminal complaint. Two of the indicted defendants are still being sought by law enforcement.

Earlier this month, a 13th defendant was arrested and indicted. Kendle Hawkins, 31, of Goodyear, Arizona, was arrested June 14, 2021, with 50,000 fentanyl tainted pills, five firearms, and two silencers.

“This investigation has removed a large number of firearms and narcotics from the hands of violent drug traffickers operating throughout the community,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. “We are committed to keeping our communities safe from the scourge of drug trafficking.”

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