Heroin & Meth Kingpin Hidalgo-Mendoza Gets 15 Years

TACOMA, WA – Fifteen years in federal prison. That’s the sentence handed down today to JUAN HIDALGO-MENDOZA, 33, of Lakewood, Washington, a drug trafficker whose operation literally fell apart at the seams. The sentencing, delivered by U.S. District Judge Ronald B. Leighton, closes a case born from a November 2012 shooting and reveals a staggering amount of narcotics stashed within the walls of a seemingly ordinary apartment.

The trouble began when emergency crews responded to Greenwood Apartments on San Francisco Ave. SW, finding Jaime Diaz-Solis dead from a gunshot wound. HIDALGO-MENDOZA, the victim’s roommate, claimed an intruder fired the fatal shot. A subsequent search, however, unearthed more than just a crime scene. Investigators discovered two bricks of heroin – over three kilos – an AK-47 style assault weapon, and a revolver. Under HIDALGO-MENDOZA’s truck, a cool $37,800 in cash was also seized. He was immediately arrested for conspiracy and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

But the initial haul was just the tip of the iceberg. Two months after HIDALGO-MENDOZA’s arrest, and after a new tenant moved in, law enforcement returned to the apartment. This time, they tore into the walls, revealing a hidden cache of eight more bricks of heroin and two bricks of methamphetamine. The total: over 13 kilos of heroin and nearly two kilos of meth. Crucially, the packaging of the newly discovered heroin matched the bricks seized during the initial search, cementing the connection to HIDALGO-MENDOZA.

Prosecutors weren’t buying HIDALGO-MENDOZA’s story, and painted a clear picture of a seasoned criminal. “Hidalgo-Mendoza is a repeat offender,” they wrote to the court. “He was caught, convicted, and imprisoned for selling heroin three years before this offense, in California.” They noted he was already under court supervision at the time and suggested his move to Washington was “almost certainly with designs related to the drug trade.” The presence of weapons, they argued, demonstrated a clear awareness of the dangers inherent in his illicit business and a callous disregard for the impact of his drugs on the community.

Judge Leighton didn’t disagree. At sentencing, he bluntly referred to HIDALGO-MENDOZA’s apartment as “ground zero” for local trafficking, “a magnet for crime and violence” that ultimately led to the death of Diaz-Solis. HIDALGO-MENDOZA was convicted following a jury trial in May 2013 of Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances, Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances, Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense and being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm/Ammunition. In addition to the 15-year prison term, he’ll face five years of supervised release.

This investigation was a coordinated effort by the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), involving the Lakewood Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), with assistance from the Auburn Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Vogel and Steven Masada prosecuted the case. For press inquiries, contact Thomas Bates at (206) 553-7970 or Thomas.Bates@usdoj.gov.

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