Two Federal Way men, Kent man indicted for drug trafficking

Two Federal Way men and a Kent man were among 14 people indicted in late May for drug trafficking in Seattle’s International District and homeless encampments.

Eleven were taken into custody May 29 in coordinated arrests as law enforcement executed 16 search warrants in Federal Way, Kent, Vancouver, Everett, Pacific, Tukwila, Issaquah, Seattle, Woodlake (California) and Beaverton (Oregon), according to a Monday, June 2 U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) press release. Investigators seized more than seven kilograms of cocaine, 18 kilograms of methamphetamine, more than 57,000 fentanyl pills and 17 firearms. They also seized more than $353,000 in cash.

The defendants are charged in two separate indictments with trafficking cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and methamphetamine from California into the Western District of Washington, according to the DOJ. They have detention hearings over the next few days.

“The indictment of five defendants in January was just the first step,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. “Now we are prosecuting 14 additional defendants. Law enforcement partners continued to pursue drug traffickers even after the initial arrests in January to address the importation of substances like fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine into Western Washington generally and the International District in particular.”

The seven defendants named in the first indictment for conspiracy to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl and heroin are:

• Octavio Salazar Palma, 33, of Federal Way, a U.S. citizen

• Luis Soto Lara, 47, of Vancouver, Washington

• Juan Ramirez Recinos, 41, of Burien, sought by law enforcement

• German Juarez-Otanez, 34, Bothell, sought by law enforcement

• Alexander Emilio Cozza, 42, of Seattle

• Marco Antonio Bobadilla, 33, Pacific

• Isai Gamboa Pacheco, 55, of Everett

The seven defendants in the second indictment for conspiracy to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine are:

• Daniel Ibarra Loera, 31, of Kent

• Jose Garcia Corona, 61, of Seattle

• Leonardo Rojas Cruz, 53 of Federal Way

• Oscar Omar Serrano Serrano, 31, of Algona

• Juan Lopez Roblero, 43, of Tukwila

• Giovanni Antonio Garduno Garcia, 46, of Issaquah

• Sang Su, 44, Seattle, a U.S. citizen, sought by law enforcement

Due to the quantities involved some of the defendants, if convicted, face mandatory minimum 10-year prison terms. Federal law enforcement is still determining the citizenship status of many of the defendants in this case.

In this investigation in March 2025 alone, law enforcement seized 100 pounds of methamphetamine, 111 kilos of cocaine, 19 kilos of fentanyl powder, 250,000 fentanyl pills and four kilos of heroin. The street value of the narcotics is nearly $3 million.

“Thanks to the sustained investigative efforts of the FBI and our partners, we are continuing the work we began in November 2023 by first intercepting the flow of dose quantities of dangerous drugs into the International District and homeless encampments in Seattle,” said W. Mike Herrington, special agent in charge of the FBI Seattle field office.

David F. Reames, DEA Seattle special agent in charge, said it took a partnership with other agencies to make the arrests.

“This trafficking group was a major supplier of deadly drugs to the International District and other communities throughout the Seattle area,” Reames said. “The fentanyl powder and pills our team seized in this case could have yielded enough lethal doses to kill everyone in Seattle twice. I am proud of our team and would like to thank the Seattle Police, the FBI, the IRS and the Washington National Guard Counterdrug program for their amazing partnership.”