Two Kent men were among 10 people arrested Tuesday for drug trafficking charges by a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) led task force.
Law enforcement agencies raided 14 locations across King and Pierce counties, as well as locations in Oregon, following a two-year investigation of drug trafficking, said U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes in a media release.
Police searched residential and business locations in Maple Valley, Enumclaw, Ravensdale, Auburn, Kent, Federal Way, Graham, Tacoma, Puyallup and Bellevue. Additional searches and arrests occurred in Springfield, Ore. The leader of the ring allegedly used a landscaping company as a cover for drug trafficking activity.
The defendants will appear in U.S. District Court in Tacoma on Tuesday and Wednesday during the initial appearance calendar.
In addition to searches at various properties, 13 vehicles associated with the drug trafficking organization are also being searched. Members of the group allegedly transported drugs and money in hidden compartments of various vehicles. The businesses searched include a landscaping business, an auto wrecking yard, a motor sports/boat business and a pawn shop.
Over the course of the investigation, and with Tuesday’s searches, law enforcement has seized more than $350,000 in cash, more than 30 pounds of methamphetamine, cocaine and firearms.
Those arrested on the indictment included Kent residents Saul Mendoza, 35, and Adan Gutierrez Raso, 22.
Others taken into custody include Bernabe Nava Ambriz, 37, of Maple Valley; Vincent Phillip Corsaletti, 51, of Springfield; Serafin Mendoza Cabrera, 37, of Federal Way; Jessica Carver, 46, of Puyallup; and Thomas Radford, 34, of Graham.
Three additional defendants were arrested on criminal complaints:
Clinton Bjornson, 34, of Bellevue; Quinn Hinkle, 45, of Tacoma; and Joel Chavez, 21, of Maple Valley.
The charges contained in the indictment and criminal complaints are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
This was an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation, providing supplemental federal funding to the federal and state agencies involved. The DEA in Tacoma and Eugene, Ore., investigated the case with assistance from the West Sound Narcotics Enforcement Task Force, Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, Portland Police Bureau and Springfield Police Department.
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