A 56-year-old Seattle resident has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for his role in a sprawling international drug smuggling operation with connections to suppliers in Mexico and Colombia, federal authorities announced.
Curtis McDaniel was sentenced this week by U.S. District Judge Tana Lin in Seattle, following his arrest at a Tukwila motel in June 2024. He had remained in custody since his apprehension during a coordinated law enforcement sweep involving multiple search and arrest warrants.
Judge Lin ordered McDaniel to serve five years in prison, followed by four years of supervised release. During the sentencing hearing, the judge underscored the damage caused by the distribution of illicit substances such as methamphetamine and cocaine—two of the leading contributors to overdose deaths in King County last year.
The investigation, led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in partnership with the Seattle Police Department, revealed that McDaniel was part of a broader drug trafficking network with transnational links. Authorities seized a massive cache of narcotics and firearms over the course of the probe, including:
- 84,000 fentanyl pills
- More than one kilogram of fentanyl powder
- 32 kilograms of cocaine
- 15 kilograms of methamphetamine
- Nearly 3 kilograms of heroin
- Nine firearms, including an AK-47
- Approximately $71,000 in suspected drug proceeds
In a statement, the DEA confirmed that additional co-conspirators have also been charged and sentenced. Among them is Ramon Duarte Garcia, a 37-year-old Mexican national, who received a 10-year prison sentence in May 2025. Another defendant, 30-year-old Humberto Lopez Rodriguez, is scheduled to be sentenced on July 30, 2025.
Financial aspects of the case are being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation unit and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) auditor from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Their focus is on identifying money laundering operations that funneled trafficking profits back to drug suppliers abroad.
The multi-agency operation received additional support from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Inspector General, the Washington State Patrol, the Renton and Centralia Police Departments, and SWAT teams from Pierce County and the Valley.
The case remains part of an ongoing federal effort to dismantle international drug pipelines feeding illicit substances into the Pacific Northwest.
