Ten Busted in $350K South Sound Drug Ring Bust

Twelve-pound bricks of meth wrapped in black tape, hollowed-out SUV panels stuffed with cash, and a network stretching from Tacoma strip malls to Oregon backroads — the takedown of a sprawling South Sound drug trafficking ring culminated in raids across King and Pierce Counties, with arrests reaching into Springfield, Oregon. Ten suspects are now in federal custody following a two-year investigation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, targeting a sophisticated operation that moved narcotics and laundered money through shell businesses and rigged vehicles.

The raids, executed at 14 locations, swept through Maple Valley, Enumclaw, Ravensdale, Auburn, Kent, Federal Way, Graham, Tacoma, Puyallup, Bellevue, and Springfield, Oregon. Authorities simultaneously executed search warrants on a landscaping business, an auto wrecking yard, a motorsports and boat dealership, and a pawn shop tied to the organization. Thirteen vehicles linked to the trafficking ring were seized and are undergoing forensic searches for hidden compartments used to smuggle drugs and currency.

Law enforcement has recovered more than $350,000 in cash, over thirty pounds of methamphetamine and cocaine, and multiple firearms. The operation, designated as an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) initiative, leveraged federal funding to bolster collaboration between federal, state, and local agencies. The sheer volume of narcotics and the cross-state logistics suggest a high-level distribution network with deep regional roots.

Those arrested on the federal indictment include: BERNABE NAVA AMBRIZ, 37, of Maple Valley; VINCENT PHILLIP CORSALETTI, 51, of Springfield, Oregon; SERAFIN MENDOZA CABRERA, 37, of Federal Way; SAUL MENDOZA CABRERA, 35, of Kent; ADAN GUTIERREZ RASO, 22, of Kent; JESSICA CARVER, 46, of Puyallup; and THOMAS RADFORD, 34, of Graham. Three additional suspects — CLINTON BJORNSON, 34, of Bellevue; QUINN HINKLE, 45, of Tacoma; and JOEL CHAVEZ, 21, of Maple Valley — were taken into custody on criminal complaints.

The defendants are scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Tacoma during the 2:30 PM initial appearance calendar today and tomorrow. All face charges related to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, money laundering, and interstate trafficking. If convicted, they could face decades behind bars under federal sentencing guidelines. Still, the Justice Department emphasizes: the charges are allegations. A person is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The case was investigated by the DEA’s offices in Tacoma and Eugene, Oregon, with critical support from the West Sound Narcotics Enforcement Task Force (WESTNET), Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, Portland Police Bureau, and Springfield Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Marci Ellsworth and Amy Jaquette are prosecuting the case, building what officials call one of the most significant drug interdiction efforts in the region this year.

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