A multi-agency law enforcement coalition apprehended 10 individuals this week in a narcotics and weapons trafficking operation that recovered at least 34 firearms and 25 kilograms of fentanyl.
Among the defendants, one resides in Sammamish. Nearby Issaquah has witnessed at least one instance of ICE activity in recent days, generating social media speculation that the drug-related operation connected to immigration enforcement.
“This operation had nothing to do with immigration, and we will always comply with the Keep Washington Working Act,” the King County Sheriff’s Office stated.
The apprehensions, which extended across western Washington from Marysville to Centralia, originated from three “significant, interrelated drug and trafficking conspiracies,” according to U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd.
“These defendants were trafficking fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin on the streets of western Washington,” Floyd stated. “Worse yet, this group trafficked in dozens of firearms, some of them high-powered assault-style weapons. Yesterday alone, law enforcement seized 34 firearms.”
Investigators indicated the Sammamish defendant, Jose Isabel Sandoval Zuniga, 30, connects to a stash location in Centralia containing the 25 kilograms of fentanyl powder and 24 firearms.
Zuniga was apprehended in his vehicle with 1.6 kilograms of suspected fentanyl. At his Sammamish residence, investigators confiscated heroin, fentanyl and a loaded .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol.
“This heavily armed Transnational Criminal Organization threatened all of western Washington by trafficking guns and fentanyl from Lewis County to Snohomish County,” stated David F. Reames, special agent in charge of the DEA Seattle Field Division.
The case forms part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative targeting organized crime and drug trafficking networks.
Others arrested on indictments or criminal complaints include:
Luis Humberto Lamas-Guzman, 25, of Lynnwood Eduardo Villavicencio-Salido, 44, of Marysville Silvestre Ramos Martinez, 35, of Everett Jose Navarro Hernandez (“Robert”), 46, of Marysville Jose Manuel Ramos Ibarra (“Kora”), 28, of Everett Marisol Perez-Diaz, 23, of Auburn Jordan Martinez Gamez, 23, of Auburn Roni Licona Escoto, 56, of Seattle Edgar Rivas Robles, 33, of Centralia
The defendants appeared in U.S. District Court in Seattle on Tuesday and Wednesday. Authorities indicated the arrests represented the culmination of a yearlong investigation involving multiple local and federal agencies.
“This violent organization not only trafficked dangerous drugs but was responsible for putting firearms on our city streets,” stated Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes.
The 10-person arrest sweep across western Washington from Marysville to Centralia demonstrates the trafficking network’s geographic scope, with the organization operating throughout the I-5 corridor from Snohomish County through King, Pierce, and Lewis counties covering the region’s primary population centers.
The 34 firearms and 25 kilograms of fentanyl seizure quantifies the operation’s scale, with the weapons cache including what authorities characterized as “high-powered assault-style weapons” suggesting the organization maintained firepower for protecting drug operations or conducting violence against rivals.
The Sammamish defendant’s residence in an affluent Eastside community contradicts stereotypical assumptions about drug trafficking geography, with Jose Isabel Sandoval Zuniga’s location demonstrating that narcotics operations extend beyond urban Seattle into wealthy suburban neighborhoods where law enforcement scrutiny traditionally focuses less intensely.
The Issaquah ICE activity coinciding with the arrests generating social media speculation reflects heightened immigrant community anxiety during Trump administration enforcement escalation, with concerned residents questioning whether drug busts serve as pretexts for immigration operations despite different legal authorities and jurisdictions.
The King County Sheriff’s Office clarification that “this operation had nothing to do with immigration” and commitment to “comply with the Keep Washington Working Act” attempts to reassure immigrant communities that local law enforcement maintains sanctuary policies despite federal drug investigations that may incidentally involve undocumented individuals.
The Keep Washington Working Act reference invokes state legislation limiting local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities, with the King County Sheriff’s statement signaling that drug trafficking arrests won’t automatically trigger ICE notifications even when defendants may have immigration status issues.
The three “significant, interrelated drug and trafficking conspiracies” characterization suggests the investigation uncovered connected but distinct criminal networks operating collaboratively, with the relationships potentially involving supplier-distributor hierarchies or complementary operations specializing in different narcotics or geographic territories.
U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd’s statement emphasizing that defendants trafficked “fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin” demonstrates the organization’s diversified product portfolio, with the multi-drug operation serving different market segments and clientele rather than specializing in single substances.
The Centralia stash location containing 25 kilograms of fentanyl powder and 24 firearms indicates the organization utilized rural Lewis County for bulk storage, with the location choice potentially reflecting lower law enforcement presence and cheaper real estate compared to urban King County warehouses facing greater surveillance risks.
The 1.6 kilograms of suspected fentanyl found in Zuniga’s vehicle during his arrest suggests he was actively transporting product when apprehended, with the quantity indicating wholesale rather than personal use and supporting conspiracy charges beyond simple possession.
The loaded .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol recovered from Zuniga’s Sammamish home alongside heroin and fentanyl establishes weapons possession charges, with the firearm’s loaded status suggesting readiness for defensive use against home invasion robberies common in drug trafficking operations.
The “heavily armed Transnational Criminal Organization” designation by DEA Special Agent David Reames elevates the case from local drug dealing to international organized crime, with the transnational label potentially referring to Mexican cartel connections supplying the fentanyl and coordinating distribution networks.
The Operation Take Back America nationwide DOJ initiative framing provides political context, with the program name’s nationalist rhetoric reflecting Trump administration enforcement priorities emphasizing aggressive prosecution of drug trafficking and organized crime.
The defendant list showing nine Spanish surnames among 10 arrested individuals creates demographic pattern that may fuel anti-immigrant sentiment despite law enforcement’s immigration disclaimer, with the names potentially reflecting either Mexican cartel connections or coincidental demographic composition of Pacific Northwest drug networks.
The age range from 23-year-olds Jordan Martinez Gamez and Marisol Perez-Diaz to 56-year-old Roni Licona Escoto suggests organizational hierarchy, with younger defendants potentially serving street-level distribution roles while older members occupy leadership positions controlling operations and supplier relationships.
The geographic distribution across Lynnwood, Marysville, Everett, Auburn, Seattle, and Centralia indicates the network’s hub-and-spoke structure, with the various locations potentially representing distribution nodes serving specific territories within the broader western Washington market.
The Tuesday and Wednesday U.S. District Court appearances demonstrating the rapid judicial processing following arrests, with the compressed timeline suggesting federal prosecutors prepared indictments and criminal complaints during the yearlong investigation before conducting coordinated apprehensions.
The yearlong investigation duration indicating extensive surveillance, wiretaps, controlled purchases, and informant development preceding the arrests, with the extended timeline necessary to document conspiracy charges, map organizational structure, and identify all participants before executing takedown.
Chief Shon Barnes’ characterization as “violent organization” despite no reported violence in the arrest announcement suggests either prior violent incidents documented during investigation or law enforcement’s presumption that armed drug trafficking organizations inherently represent violent threats requiring aggressive enforcement.
Seattle’s fentanyl crisis context where overdose deaths reached record levels makes the 25-kilogram seizure significant, with the quantity potentially representing enough doses to supply regional users for extended periods given fentanyl’s potency requiring only minuscule amounts for lethal overdoses.
