A citizen of Mexico, residing in Kent, was one of four men arrested for investigation of drug trafficking by law enforcement teams that led to the seizure of fentanyl, cocaine, meth, heroin, guns and cash.
Officers and agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Seattle Police Department and IRS Criminal Investigation executed 24 search or arrest warrants in Washington and New Jersey taking four people into custody who are connected to a drug trafficking conspiracy, said U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman in a June 5 U.S. Department of Justice press release. The four men allegedly have ties to suppliers in Mexico and Colombia, and law enforcement in those countries are assisting with the investigation and search warrants.
“Whenever possible, we try to trace both the origin of drugs and the money going back to those who supply the drugs,” Gorman said. “We want to ensure that those who would poison our communities – by trafficking drugs from afar – are held accountable for their actions in the United States. I am pleased with the collaborative work between law enforcement not only in the United States, but also with our partners in Colombia, whose collective efforts put a significant dent in this particular drug supply chain.”
Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement seized 84,000 fentanyl pills, more than a kilogram of fentanyl powder, 32 kilograms of cocaine, 15 kilograms of methamphetamine nearly three kilograms of heroin, nine firearms and $71,000 in drug proceeds. On June 5, they recovered nine guns, including an AK-47, 2.5 kilograms of cocaine and a pound of methamphetamine.
International cooperation among agencies led to the arrests, said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division.
“I appreciate the extensive cooperation between the DEA, Seattle Police Department, Internal Revenue Service, and the Colombian National Police to create a top-to-bottom success by indicting Mexican cartel members, Colombian drug producers and American distributors,” Reames said.
Four people were arrested Wednesday, June 5 in the Western District of Washington and District of New Jersey, and they will have initial appearances and detention hearings over the next few weeks. Another man already was in prison.
Those arrested include:
• Ramon Duarte Garcia, 37, a citizen of Mexico residing in Kent
• Humberto Lopez Rodriguez, 30, a citizen of Mexico, formerly of Renton, currently imprisoned at Federal Correctional Institution Lompoc, California
• Curtis McDaniel, 55, a U.S. citizen residing in Tukwila
• Manuel Garcia Hernandez, 39, a citizen of Mexico, residing in Renton
• Jose Luis Villafañe Osorio, 35, a citizen of Colombia, residing in Plainfield, New Jersey
Duarte Garcia was reportedly identified as a significant drug supplier when law enforcement stopped him driving back to the Pacific Northwest with 12 pounds of methamphetamine in his vehicle, along with a stolen firearm and $10,000 in drug trafficking proceeds, according to the Department of Justice.
The Colombian National Police (CNP) and Colombian Prosecutor’s Office (Fiscalia General) partnered with U.S. law enforcement on this investigation, according to the press release. The Justice Department’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of the Judicial Attaché in Bogotá provided critical assistance.
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A total of 5 kilos of cocaine were among the drugs seized by law enforcement teams that executed 24 search or arrest warrants in Washington and New Jersey. COURTESY PHOTO, U.S. Department of Justice
