SPOKANE, Wash. –The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Indian Affairs Division of Drug Enforcement (BIA), and the North Central Washington Narcotics Task Force, and other federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, executed a series of federal search warrants at a number of residential locations in rural Okanogan County...

PORTLAND, Ore.—A suspected drug trafficker faces federal charges after he was caught transporting dozens of pounds of powdered fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other illegal drugs on Interstate 5 near Salem, Oregon. Miguel Cruz-Barrales, 22, whose place of residence is unknown, has been charged by criminal complaint with possessing with intent to...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – On April 11, 2023, Judge Ralph Beistline of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska sentenced a Mexican national to 14 years imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release for his role as the head of a drug trafficking organization that spanned multiple states...

Seattle – A 39-year-old Woodinville, Washington, resident was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 108 months in prison, for his role as the leader of a conspiracy to distribute narcotics including fentanyl, meth, and heroin, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Jose Luis Ibarra-Valle has been in custody...

TACOMA, Wash. – Twenty-seven people were indicted by a grand jury for drug trafficking, and many of those in the indictment are tied to the “Aryan Family,” a white supremacist prison gang, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Twenty-four of the defendants have been arrested over the last five days in...

SEATTLE – Two members of a drug trafficking ring that buried drugs and cash on a rural property near Arlington, Washington, were sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Jose Arrondondo-Valdez, 27, was sentenced to nine years in prison and Yvette Olguin, 40, was...

SEATTLE – One of the leaders of a violent international drug trafficking organization that distributed heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine in the Puget Sound region was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to more than 12 years in prison, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Jose Elias Barbosa, 37, of...

SEATTLE – A 46-year-old Marysville, Washington woman, who co-owned a Lake Stevens, Washington restaurant used for drug trafficking, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to ten years in prison for distributing methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Laura Rodriguez-Moreno has been in custody since...

Seattle – The leader of a violent, prolific drug trafficking ring was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 15 years in prison, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Cesar Valdez-Sanudo, 36, pleaded guilty in June 2022 to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, conspiracy to commit money laundering and...

Seattle – The mid-level leader of a drug distribution cell that was one of the most violent seen in the Western District of Washington was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to ten years in prison, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Jose Daniel Espinoza, 35, was indicted and...