Curtis McDaniel, Methamphetamine and Cocaine Trafficking, Washington 2025
A 56-year-old Seattle resident, Curtis McDaniel, was sentenced to five years in prison for his involvement in an international drug smuggling conspiracy. The case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation.
McDaniel was arrested on June 5, 2024, at a Tukwila motel and has been in custody ever since. The investigation led by the DEA and Seattle Police Department resulted in the seizure of 84,000 fentanyl pills, more than a kilogram of fentanyl powder, 32 kilograms of cocaine, 15 kilograms of methamphetamine, nearly three kilograms of heroin, and $71,000 in drug proceeds.
Law enforcement teams from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Seattle Police Department, and IRS Criminal Investigation executed 24 search or arrest warrants, taking four people into custody who were linked to the drug trafficking conspiracy. The conspirators had ties to suppliers in Mexico and Colombia.
U.S. District Judge Tana Lin referenced the significant impact that McDaniel's distribution of methamphetamine and cocaine have upon the community, specifically noting that methamphetamine and cocaine were the second and third most common substances involved in overdose deaths in King County in 2024.
The lead defendant, Ramon Duarte Garcia, 37, a citizen of Mexico who lived in Kent, Washington, was identified as a significant drug supplier when law enforcement stopped him driving back to the Pacific Northwest with 12 pounds of methamphetamine in his vehicle, along with a stolen firearm and $10,000 in drug trafficking proceeds. Duarte Garcia was sentenced to ten years in prison in May 2025.
Humberto Lopez Rodriguez, 30, a citizen of Mexico, formerly of Renton, Washington, is scheduled for sentencing on July 30, 2025. The investigation also resulted in the recovery of nine guns, including an AK-47.
The cases from this investigation are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Joe Silvio and C. Andrew Colasurdo in the Western District of Washington.
The Colombian National Police (CNP) and Colombian Prosecutor's Office (Fiscalia General) partnered with U.S. law enforcement on this investigation, and the Justice Department's Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section's Office of the Judicial Attaché in Bogotá provided critical assistance.
The investigation is a significant blow to international drug trafficking, and the sentences handed down demonstrate the commitment of law enforcement to disrupting and dismantling these networks.
The total amounts seized in the investigation include:
84,000 fentanyl pills
More than a kilogram of fentanyl powder
32 kilograms of cocaine
15 kilograms of methamphetamine
Nearly three kilograms of heroin
$71,000 in drug proceeds
Nine guns, including an AK-47
Key Facts
- State: Washington
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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