US Attorney Neil Floyd and local law enforcement officials announced Thursday the culmination of two extensive drug trafficking investigations that resulted in 18 arrests and the seizure of staggering quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine across western Washington, operations that authorities indicate prevented millions of potentially lethal doses from reaching communities already devastated by the ongoing opioid crisis.
“Operation Correcaminos,” Spanish for “roadrunner,” and “Operation Good Times” dismantled separate drug distribution networks operating in the Seattle region and Snohomish County, with authorities stating the organizations maintained connections to source countries Ecuador and Mexico, respectively. Combined, both operations uncovered enough fentanyl to theoretically kill more than 6 million people, a quantity that underscores the industrial scale of modern drug trafficking operations supplying the Pacific Northwest’s illicit drug markets.
“You follow the money, you follow the drugs, you do the investigation, but you don’t know who the people are going to be at the end of the operation,” Floyd stated during Thursday’s press conference. “This operation was dangerous,” he added, acknowledging the risks investigators faced infiltrating organizations that routinely employ violence to protect their operations and maintain control over lucrative distribution territories.
The first investigation, a 10-month effort dubbed Operation Correcaminos, culminated on 16 October when eight people were arrested and charged with federal drug trafficking offenses for their alleged roles in a sophisticated distribution ring operating throughout Snohomish County. The investigation originated from what initially appeared to be a routine traffic stop conducted by Tulalip Tribal police in December 2024, when officers discovered fentanyl in a suspect’s vehicle, a find that prompted deeper investigation into what proved to be an extensive trafficking network.
Following the initial traffic stop, law enforcement agencies conducted months of painstaking investigative work including undercover drug purchases from organization members, physical surveillance of suspects to map their activities and associations, wiretaps capturing communications between conspirators, and financial analysis tracking money flows that revealed the organization’s structure and scope.
Eight defendants have been charged in federal court in connection with Operation Correcaminos:
- Oliver Gutama Escandon, 21, Renton, Washington
- Josselin Gutama Escandon, 23, Renton, Washington
- Henry Gutama Escandon, 34, Renton, Washington
- Carlos Gutama Escandon, 30, Renton, Washington
- Jessica Gutama Escandon, 32, Renton, Washington
- Andres Giraldo Arias, 34, Renton, Washington
- Stalyn Quezada Gutama, 23, Renton, Washington
- Artur Shahnazaryan, 38, Redmond, Washington
“I personally cannot overstate the impact of this investigation on the community in Snohomish County,” stated Sheriff Susanna Johnson. “Just the amount of fentanyl and heroin does impact our daily lives,” she added, referring to the overdose deaths, property crimes funding addiction, and emergency response resources consumed by the opioid crisis that drugs like those seized in this operation fuel.
Remarkably, five of the eight defendants are siblings from the Gutama Escandon family, originally from Ecuador, illustrating how family-based trafficking organizations often operate with blood relationships providing the trust necessary for criminal enterprises where betrayal can result in violence or lengthy prison sentences. The family structure also facilitates operations by distributing roles amongst members who have known each other since childhood and maintain loyalties that transcend business considerations.
Law enforcement seized substantial evidence and contraband during Operation Correcaminos including four firearms, two kilograms of fentanyl powder, three kilograms of methamphetamine, more than 36,000 fentanyl pills, and smaller quantities of heroin and cocaine. Investigators also seized more than $220,000 in cash, proceeds generated from drug sales that would typically be laundered through legitimate businesses or transferred to suppliers in source countries.
“We stopped over three and a half million potentially lethal doses of fentanyl from hitting the streets in our hometown, saving countless lives,” stated Special Agent in Charge David Reames with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Seattle division. “These men and their co-conspirators were a grave threat to the safety of our communities,” he added, emphasising that each fentanyl pill or portion of powder represents potential death for users who increasingly cannot distinguish between legitimate medications and counterfeit pills containing unpredictable quantities of the synthetic opioid.
A second, year-long investigation concluded on 28 October with 10 arrests of individuals allegedly comprising another major trafficking organization operating throughout the Puget Sound region. This operation, dubbed Operation Good Times, resulted in even larger seizures: more than 100,000 fentanyl pills, 34 kilograms of fentanyl powder, 3.7 kilograms of methamphetamine, nearly a kilogram of heroin, and 8.7 kilograms of cocaine. Investigators also seized more than $140,000 in cash from organization members.
“The fentanyl alone seized in this case could have killed a staggering 3.3 million people,” Reames explained. “That’s enough fentanyl to kill everyone who lives and works in King County,” he added, using the dramatic comparison to convey the lethal potential of the seized drugs to a public that may have become desensitised to overdose statistics and drug seizure announcements.
Reames indicated the Operation Good Times suspects were transporting drugs northward from California and Arizona, following established trafficking routes that move narcotics from Mexican border crossing points through California’s urban centres toward Pacific Northwest markets where prices are higher due to distance from source regions. Narcotics investigators with the Seattle Police Department discovered significant quantities of the organisation’s drugs in Lake City, a North Seattle neighbourhood that has experienced increased drug activity and property crime in recent years.
Two defendants were connected to a property in rural Lewis County where investigators discovered an illegal cockfighting operation, a finding that illustrates how criminal enterprises often engage in multiple illegal activities. Cockfighting operations, whilst perhaps seeming unrelated to drug trafficking, frequently coexist with narcotics distribution because both attract individuals comfortable operating outside legal boundaries and provide cash-based businesses useful for money laundering.
Ten defendants have been indicted on various federal drug trafficking and firearms charges in connection with Operation Good Times:
- Luis Humberto Lamas-Guzman, 25, of Lynnwood, Washington
- Eduardo Villavicencio-Salido, 44, of Marysville, Washington
- Silvestre Ramos Martinez, 35, of Everett, Washington
- Jose Navarro Hernandez “Robert”, 46, of Marysville, Washington
- Jose Manuel Ramos Ibarra “Kora”, 28, of Everett, Washington
- Marisol Perez-Diaz, 23, of Auburn, Washington
- Jordan Martinez Gamez, 23, of Auburn, Washington
- Jose Isabel Sandoval Zuniga, 30, of Sammamish, Washington
- Roni Licona Escoto, 56, of Seattle
- Edgar Rivas Robles, 33, of Centralia, Washington
Assistant Chief Nicole Powell with the Seattle Police Department praised the collaborative nature of the investigations, which required coordination between federal agencies, tribal police, county sheriffs, and municipal police departments.
“The city of Seattle and the region around the city are safer because of the work you have done,” Powell stated, acknowledging the investigators whose months or years of effort culminated in Thursday’s announcement.
