FBI arrests 11 in California, Washington in connection with cartel-connected drug trafficking schemes

Seattle – The Federal Bureau of Investigation announced that 11 suspects were arrested on trafficking and weapons charges. With yesterday’s announcement, there have been 17 indictments issued in an ongoing traffickiing investigation.

U.S. Attorney Nick Brown said three significant drug trafficking groups responsible for trafficking more than 1,000 pounds of methamphetamine and hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills are facing federal charges.

Two indictments charging a total of eleven defendants were unsealed late yesterday following law enforcement activity in two states. Six additional defendants were indicted and arrested in September. Despite the arrests tied to a wire-tap investigation, the traffickers named in the most recent indictments continued their trafficking activities.

“These individuals were bringing large loads of meth, heroin, fentanyl and cocaine from Mexico across the border and up I-5 to the Pacific Northwest,” Brown said. “Even when an RV loaded with drugs was pulled off the highway and seized by law enforcement, they weren’t deterred. The wiretap revealed various organizations continued to recruit drivers and vehicles to transport their drugs throughout our District.”

Even before yesterday’s search of 14 locations in Washington and California, the drug, gun, and cash totals seized by law enforcement were significant: 1,016 pounds of meth; 9 kilos of fentanyl powder and 330,000 fentanyl pills; 25 kilos of cocaine; and 15.5 kilos of heroin. Law enforcement seized 43 guns and more than $1 million in cash.

Those named in the indictments unsealed yesterday include:

• Jose Paleo, 29, of La Mirada, California
• Octavio Guzman, 24, of Huntington Park, California
• Glauco Guardado Rodriguez, 25, of Seattle
• Araceli Salas, 30, of Maywood, California
• Maria Rangel Aguilar, 44, of Huntington Park, California
• Miguel Thomas, 33, of Tukwila, Washington
• Tad Fulton, 48, of Seattle
• Ryan Holmquist, 34, of Issaquah, Washington
• Timothy Hursh, 38, of SeaTac, Washington
• Ryan Terry, 44, of Duval, Washington
• Abel Cruz, 32, of Des Moines, Washington

Six defendants were arrested earlier this year on a September 21, 2022, indictment:

• Agustin Gutierrez Valencia, 32, of Kent, Washington
• Daniel Vazquez Arroyo, 32, of Kent, Washington
• Rosalio Reynoso Arellano, 51, of Los Angeles
• Ernesto Casillas, 46, of Los Angeles
• Benigno Hernandez aka Ivan Santos Arellano, 32, of Kent, Washington
• Jesus Toledo Pardo, 56, of SeaTac, Washington

Two additional defendants were arrested on criminal complaints yesterday:

• Luis Valenzuela-Haro, 32, of Seattle
• Michael Kinzel, 37, of Renton, Washington

As for totals from the searches yesterday, law enforcement seized more than two kilos of fentanyl, 4.5 kilos of heroin, ten pounds of methamphetamine and 67 firearms. Also taken by law enforcement: high-capacity rifle magazines, thousands of rounds of ammunition, two sets of body armor, one ballistic shield.