In a year-long wiretap investigation, 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 are allegedly connected to a drug trafficking conspiracy.
U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman announced the arrests, stating, ‘Whenever possible, we try to trace both the origin of drugs and the money going back to those who supply the drugs.’ The conspirators have ties to suppliers in Mexico and Colombia, and law enforcement in those countries are assisting with the investigation and search warrants.
U.S. Attorney Gorman added, ‘We want to ensure that those who would poison our communities – by trafficking drugs from afar – are held accountable for their actions in the United States.’ The investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation, which identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.
Law enforcement seized 84,000 fentanyl pills, more than a kilogram of fentanyl powder, 32 kilograms of cocaine, 15 kilograms of methamphetamine, nearly three kilograms of heroin, nine firearms, and $71,000 in drug proceeds. Today alone, they recovered nine guns, including an AK-47, 2.5 kilograms of cocaine, and a pound of methamphetamine.
The suspects arrested include Ramon Duarte Garcia, a 37-year-old Mexican citizen residing in Kent, Washington; Humberto Lopez Rodriguez, a 30-year-old Mexican citizen and former resident of Renton, Washington, currently imprisoned at Federal Correctional Institution Lompoc, California; Curtis McDaniel, a 55-year-old U.S. citizen residing in Tukwila, Washington; Manuel Garcia Hernandez, a 39-year-old Mexican citizen residing in Renton, Washington; and Jose Luis Villafañe Osorio, a 35-year-old Colombian citizen residing in Plainfield, New Jersey.
According to the investigation, Duarte Garcia 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. The suspects will have initial appearances and detention hearings over the next few weeks.
Related Federal Cases
- Mexican Cartel Leaders Busted in Massive Fentanyl, Methamphetamine, Heroin, Cocaine Ring · Washington
- $1B Investment Fraud Duo Busted · Washington
- Bremerton Swatter Gets 3 Years for Cross-Border Terror · Pennsylvania
- James Blocks Trump’s Social Services Cuts · Washington
- James Leads Charge to Shield Haitian Immigrants from Deportation · Washington
Key Facts
- State: Washington
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
🔒 Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
Browse More
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
US NewsUS NewsUS NewsUS News