A Palmdale, California man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in a massive fentanyl trafficking operation in western Washington.
DANIEL GUERRERO, 28, of Palmdale, California, was identified as a source for Mexican cartel-connected fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine in late July 2017.
GUERRERO entered into a drug deal with a person working with law enforcement that resulted in the seizure in August 2017 of 11 kilos of fentanyl, one kilo of heroin, and 12 pounds of methamphetamine from a mini-van parked at an apartment complex in Puyallup, Washington.
The drugs were seized from a California-licensed mini-van that GUERRERO had left at the apartment complex. He had used a rental car to take his family to eastern Washington before leaving the state.
GUERRERO planned to sell the seized drugs for $350,000, according to court records.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Tacoma Resident Office, along with the Tahoma Narcotics Enforcement Team (TNET), which consists of the Washington Department of Corrections, Auburn Police Department, Bonney Lake Police Department, Lakewood Police Department, Tacoma Police Department, Puyallup Police Department, and the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.
The case was supported by the Northwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) and National Guard.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Marci L. Ellsworth.
At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle said, ‘I cannot emphasize how serious fentanyl distribution is; to call it ‘trafficking in death’ is not hyperbole.’
More than 29,000 people died in 2017 from overdoses involving illegal fentanyl – more than five times as many deaths as occurred in 2014, according to U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes.
GUERRERO pleaded guilty in October 2018 and was arrested on a warrant after attempting to return to the United States at Nogales.
Key Facts
- State: Washington
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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