WA man sentenced to 5 years in massive international drug trafficking case

A Washington resident involved in an international drug smuggling conspiracy was sentenced to five years in prison on Wednesday.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) named Curtis McDaniel, 56, as one of four suspects taken into custody after 24 search warrants were executed.

Drug trafficker sentenced

More than a year ago, a combination of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Seattle Police Department (SPD), and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation executed a search and arrest warrant for McDaniel and arrested him at a Tukwila motel.

McDaniel was sentenced to five years in prison and four years of supervised release following his prison term.

U.S. District Judge Tana Lin noted the significant impact McDaniel had on the distribution of methamphetamine and cocaine in the Seattle community.

Lin mentioned that methamphetamine and cocaine were the second and third most common substances involved in overdose deaths in King County in 2024.

Throughout the DOJ investigation, law enforcement seized:

• 84,000 fentanyl pills
• 32 kilograms of cocaine
• 15 kilograms of methamphetamine
• Nearly 3 kilograms of heroin
• More than a kilogram of fentanyl powder
• $71,000 in drug proceeds
• 9 firearms, including an AK-47

The prosecution is part of an investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), which identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the U.S.

Money laundering investigation

The DEA, SPD, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the OCDETF auditor for the U.S. Attorney’s Office are working together to conduct a financial investigation focused on the money laundering aspect of the crime.

The investigation is targeting money launderers who were responsible for the transfer of significant sums of drug trafficking proceeds to sources of supply in Mexico and Colombia.

Additional assistance was provided by the Renton Police Department, the Centralia Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of the Inspector General, the Washington State Patrol, Pierce County, and the Valley SWAT teams.

Additional defendants

Ramon Duarte Garcia, a 37-year-old citizen of Mexico who lived in Kent, was identified as a significant drug supplier and was stopped by law enforcement while he drove back to the PNW with 12 pounds of methamphetamine, a stolen firearm, and $10,000 in drug trafficking proceeds.

Another defendant, Humberto Lopez Rodriguez, a 30-year-old citizen of Mexico, formerly lived in Renton before he was apprehended for his drug trafficking crimes.

Garcia was sentenced to 10 years in prison in May. Rodriguez is scheduled for sentencing on July 30.

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