Judge sentences former Kent man to 10 years for drug dealing

A federal judge sentenced a 38-year-old Mexican citizen, who previously resided in Kent, to 10 years in prison for drug trafficking.

Ramon Duarte Garcia received the sentence Wednesday, May 28 in U.S. District Court in Seattle, according to a May 28 U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) press release.

Duarte Garcia was arrested in June 2024, following a drug investigation lasting nearly four years. Between 2020 and June 2024 investigators seized more than 32 kilograms of cocaine, 14 kilograms of methamphetamine, 83,000 fentanyl-laced pills, 3 kilograms of heroin and 1 kilogram of fentanyl powder, according to the DOJ.

“You showed no respect for the law. …Getting involved in drug dealing when you entered the country,” U.S. District Judge Tana Lin said.

Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller said Duarte Garcia had been stopped several times by law enforcement.

“In this investigation, federal and state investigators worked from the streets of Seattle to drug suppliers in Mexico and Colombia,” Miller said. “Repeat stops by law enforcement did not stop this defendant as he brought large loads of narcotics to our community. Significant prison time is needed to stop his trafficking.”

David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division, said it took 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.

According to records filed in the case, Duarte Garcia’s drug trafficking activity continued unabated following law enforcement stops in July 2023 and December 2023―during which methamphetamine, cocaine and two firearms were seized from his vehicle. When Duarte Garcia’s car was searched on Dec. 4, 2023, law enforcement seized 13 kilograms of cocaine, a loaded Sig Sauer 9mm semiautomatic pistol, pistol magazines and ammunition, a shell casing, $1,716 in cash drug proceeds, a knife and a drug ledger. Investigators also recovered suspected bullet fragments from the vehicle’s side paneling, according to the DOJ.

Duarte Garcia was trafficking large amounts of drugs even though he had been stopped on July 14, 2023, and charged in California with drug trafficking for the 12 pounds of meth, the Glock handgun and the $10,000 seized from his car.

In asking for a 12-year prison sentence prosecutors wrote to the court:

“Duarte Garcia made a conscious and repeated choice to put his needs above those of the community. Indeed, every time that he decided to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, or heroin, he put lives in danger. That Duarte Garcia transported drugs while armed―as evidenced by two separate traffic stops―only underscores the seriousness of Duarte Garcia’s conduct.”

Duarte Garcia had overstayed his visa to be in the U.S. and will likely be deported following his prison term. Should he remain in the U.S., he will be on three years of supervised release following prison.

The investigation was led by the DEA and Seattle Police Department. The IRS Criminal Investigation and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces auditor for the U.S. Attorney’s Office are conducting the financial investigation that is focused on the money launderers responsible for the transfer of significant sums of drug trafficking proceeds to sources of supply in Mexico and Colombia.

Additional assistance was provided by Renton Police Department, Centralia Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of the Inspector General, Washington State Patrol, Pierce County and Valley SWAT teams, which includes Kent Police.

The Colombian National Police and Colombian Prosecutor’s Office (Fiscalia General) partnered with U.S. law enforcement on this investigation, according to the DOJ. The Justice Department’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of the Judicial Attaché in Bogotá provided critical assistance.