News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 14, 2010
Contact: Jodie Underwood
Number: (206) 553-5443

Olympia Man Sentenced To 10 Years In Operation ‘Arctic Chill’
Repeat Offender Purchased & Distributed Multi-Pound Quantities of Meth

MAY 14 -- (Seattle) - Doug Alfonso, 49, of Olympia, Washington, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to ten years in prison and four years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Alfonso was identified as a multi-pound distributor of crystal methamphetamine also known as ‘Ice’. Operation ‘Arctic Chill’ was a 14-month investigation into a drug trafficking organization that supplied methamphetamine and cocaine from Mexico for distribution in Washington. The members of the organization were distributing significant quantities of highly pure crystal meth in the South Sound and Southwest Washington areas.

“This organization’s drug trafficking activities posed a significant threat to our community and numerous other locations in the USA,” said DEA Acting Special Agent in Charge Mark Thomas. “Today’s sentence reflects our communities intolerance for this criminal activity. The sentence is indicative of this defendant’s role in this organization. This case would not have been possible without the high level of cooperation between our law enforcement counterparts.”

According to the plea agreement Alfonso signed in February 2010, he admitted to purchasing pound quantities of methamphetamine on numerous occasions. In fact between February and June 2009, Alfonso purchased and distributed to others one to two pounds of methamphetamine each week. Alfonso paid between $15,000 and $19,000 per pound for the drugs. He sold the meth in Thurston, Lewis and Pierce Counties. In June 2009, Alfonso and others involved in the conspiracy were arrested. Alfonso has prior state court convictions for drug possession and harassment dating back to 1998.

Last week the lead defendant, Martin Osequera-Chavez, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Oseguera-Chavez, must be sentenced to 10-15 years in prison, or either side can withdraw from the plea agreement. Oseguera-Chavez admits in his plea agreement that he distributed cocaine and methamphetamine that was transported from Mexico to Western Washington. Oseguera-Chavez went to California to pick up the drugs or sent others to pick them up.

This was an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation, providing supplemental federal funding to the federal and state agencies involved. The case was investigated by the following agenices: The Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Tacoma, Auburn, Bonney Lake, Centralia, Puyallup and Federal Way Police Departments, Gray’s Harbor Task Force, Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, South Snohomish Drug Task Force, Washington Department of Corrections, and the Washington State Patrol.