King County deputies intercept Burien drug ring tied to Sinaloa cartel

The King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) arrested a suspected drug trafficker in Burien who was connected to a Mexican cartel after investigating the suspect for months.

According to KCSO, the suspect was someone who was running drugs into Washington for the Sinaloa cartel — arguably the largest and most powerful drug trafficking organization in the Western Hemisphere, led mostly by Joaquín Guzmán Loera’s, also known as El Chapo, sons.

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The arrest came after a two-month investigation that involved more than 100 hours of surveillance across the region.

Alongside the arrest, the investigation into the Burien drug ring uncovered nearly three pounds of fentanyl powder, 5,000 fentanyl/M30 pills, 10 grams of cocaine, three handguns, one AR-15 style short barrel rifle with a 60-round drum magazine, three vehicles and more than $180,000 in cash.

(Photo courtesy of King County Sheriff’s Office)

The suspect is currently booked in King County Jail on narcotics-related charges. It’s unclear whether deputies believe he had accomplices here.

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Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here and you can email him here.