Latest news with #OrganizedCrimeDrugEnforcementTaskForces
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
DOJ: Fourteen indicted, 11 arrested in Seattle-area drug trafficking case tied to CID encampments
Fourteen people were indicted and 11 arrested as part of a sweeping federal drug trafficking investigation targeting narcotics distribution in Seattle's Chinatown-International District and surrounding homeless encampments, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller at a press conference in Seattle. The indictments, announced in late May and followed by coordinated arrests last week, stem from an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation led by the FBI, Seattle Police Department, and Drug Enforcement Administration. Officials say the defendants trafficked large quantities of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl from California into Western Washington. 'This trafficking group was a major supplier of deadly drugs to the International District and other communities throughout the Seattle area,' said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Seattle Field Division. 'The fentanyl powder and pills our team seized in this case could have yielded enough lethal doses to kill everyone in Seattle twice.' The 14 individuals are charged in two separate indictments. Seven are accused of conspiring to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin, while the other seven face charges of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine. Octavio Salazar Palma, 33, of Federal Way, WA Luis Soto Lara, 47, of Vancouver, WA Juan Ramirez Recinos, 41, of Burien, WA (fugitive) German Juarez-Otanez, 34, of Bothell, WA (fugitive) Alexander Emilio Cozza, 42, of Seattle Marco Antonio Bobadilla, 33, of Pacific, WA Isai Gamboa Pacheco, 55, of Everett, WA Daniel Ibarra Loera, 31, of Kent, WA Jose Garcia Corona, 61, of Seattle Leonardo Rojas Cruz, 53, of Federal Way, WA Oscar Omar Serrano Serrano, 31, of Algona, WA Juan Lopez Roblero, 43, of Tukwila, WA Giovanni Antonio Garduno Garcia, 46, of Issaquah, WA Sang Su, 44, of Seattle (U.S. citizen, fugitive) Investigators executed 16 search warrants on May 29 across Washington, Oregon, and California, including locations in Federal Way, Everett, Issaquah, Kent, and Seattle. Authorities seized more than seven kilograms of cocaine, 18 kilograms of methamphetamine, 57,000 fentanyl pills, 17 firearms, and $353,000 in cash. Seattle Police Chief Shon F. Barnes said the group 'preyed on the homeless and drug addicted' and 'terrorized people living and working in the Chinatown-International District and South Seattle.' He praised the coordinated work of detectives and federal agencies. The case builds on previous charges filed in January 2025, when five Washington-based individuals connected to the same trafficking operation were indicted. Since then, law enforcement expanded its efforts beyond Washington, tracking the drug supply chain to sources in Oregon and Southern California. In March 2025 alone, the investigation led to the seizure of 100 pounds of meth, 111 kilos of cocaine, 19 kilos of fentanyl powder, 250,000 fentanyl pills, and four kilos of heroin—an estimated street value of nearly $3 million. The suspects face a range of federal charges that, in some cases, carry mandatory minimum prison sentences of 10 years. Officials are still working to determine the citizenship status of several defendants. 'This investigation draws from the resilience of our communities,' said Acting Special Agent in Charge Carrie Nordyke of IRS-Criminal Investigation in Seattle. 'Illegal drug trafficking devastates lives and affects us all.' The investigation involved multiple agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Washington National Guard Counterdrug Program, Oregon State Police, and the Clark County Sheriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey Conzatti and Brian Wynne are prosecuting the case. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Yahoo
Two Altoona residents plead guilty in drug trafficking case
ALTOONA, Pa. (WTAJ) — A pair of Altoona residents have pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking charges after investigators tied them to a methamphetamine distribution ring operating across four Pennsylvania counties. Lesley Wilt, 38, and Jason Lynn, 39, entered their guilty pleas before U.S. District Judge Stephanie L. Haines following a six-month wiretap investigation into a network distributing meth, heroin and fentanyl in Blair, Cambria, Centre and Clearfield counties. Prosecutors said Lynn was the leader of the organization, coordinating shipments of methamphetamine and heroin from a New York supplier and redistributing them throughout Western Pennsylvania. During the investigation, federal agents seized nearly two kilograms of pure methamphetamine and multiple firearms from Lynn's home and two storage units. In total, Lynn was linked to over 4.5 kilograms of methamphetamine and 65 grams of heroin. He pleaded guilty to multiple drug charges and firearm possession as a convicted felon, with prior offenses including strangulation, unlawful restraint and drug possession. Wilt pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Both defendants remain in custody pending sentencing, scheduled for Sept. 22. Wilt faces up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine, while Lynn faces a minimum of 10 years and up to $10 million in fines. The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from multiple federal, state and local agencies. It was prosecuted under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) program. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
South China Morning Post
09-03-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Trump justice department fires head of organised crime task force
The head of a key US Justice Department task force that combats drugs and organised crime was fired on Friday, amid a move by President Donald Trump's administration to purge or sideline career officials. Advertisement Adam Cohen, who was director of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, in a social media post said he had been fired by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, Trump's former criminal defence lawyer who was confirmed to the department's No. 2 role by the US Senate on Wednesday. Cohen's firing came just 18 hours after Blanche released a memo that Cohen had helped him draft which announced that the task force he led would be playing a new leading role in combating illegal immigration, as part of an initiative dubbed 'Operation Take Back America.' 'It was a shock,' Cohen wrote of his firing on LinkedIn, noting he had been meeting regularly with leadership to discuss violent crime initiatives. 'Putting bad guys in jail was as apolitical as it gets,' he wrote. 'My personal politics were never relevant. Not until yesterday.' Advertisement Cohen's firing is one of the latest examples of the Trump administration removing or sidelining career Justice Department officials, who typically keep their positions across presidential administrations. Also on Friday, three assistant US attorneys in the Southern District of New York, including two who were involved in prosecuting the corruption case against New York Mayor Eric Adams, were placed on administrative leave, according to an internal email by acting US Attorney Matthew Podolsky that was seen by reporters.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Yahoo
Derry man gets 6 years for drug trafficking conspiracy
Mar. 7—A Derry man who supplied Lawrence-area drug dealers with large quantities of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine was sentenced this week in Boston to six years in prison, according to prosecutors. Cote Colby, 29, of Derry was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley to six years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Boston. Colby was indicted in April 2023 along with three others in a drug trafficking conspiracy, prosecutors said. An investigation began in September 2022 into a drug trafficking organization distributing fentanyl, fentanyl pills, cocaine base and methamphetamine, including counterfeit pills containing fentanyl in the Merrimack Valley areas of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, prosecutors said. "The investigation identified Colby as a significant drug distributor for the organization, making thousands of dollars per transaction," prosecutors said in a statement. During the investigation, Colby distributed narcotics to several cooperating witnesses in numerous controlled purchases, according to prosecutors. Authorities estimated that Colby is responsible for distributing approximately 422 grams of pure methamphetamine and 26 grams of fentanyl, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The case was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make neighborhoods safer for everyone. The operation also was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location.
