United States Drug Enforcement Administration

SPOKANE, Wash. - On December 13, 2017, the Drug Enforcement (DEA) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and (ATF) led a large scale enforcement action targeting a criminal organization distributing methamphetamine in the Eastern District of Washington, Idaho, and Montana.  Hundreds of law enforcement officials, including federal agents and state and local officers executed Federal search warrants in Spokane, Washington; Moses Lake, Washington; Mattawa, Washington; and in North Idaho. This enforcement action resulted in the arrest of approximately 20 individuals, the seizure of approximately 75 firearms, and approximately eight pounds of methamphetamine.

This enforcement action stems from a Federal Indictment that was handed down in the Eastern District of Washington in December, 2017. The Indictment charges numerous individuals with a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine from on or about September, 2016 through December, 2017. An Indictment contains allegations that an individual has committed a crime. Every individual is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Today’s enforcement action is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task (OCDETF) investigation. The OCDETF program provides supplemental federal funding to the federal and state agencies involved in the investigation of drug-related crimes. This OCDETF investigation is being conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Agencies participating in the enforcement operation today were Drug Enforcement Administration - Spokane District Office; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; United States Border Patrol; Spokane Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; United States Marshals Service; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Spokane Regional Safe Streets Task Force; and Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team.  The investigation was supported by Northwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking (HIDTA).

James A. Goeke and David Herzog, Assistant United States Attorneys for the Eastern District of Washington, are prosecuting this case.