Over a dozen indicted in western Washington cartel-linked drug ring bust

Federal, state, and local law enforcement have been working for the last three weeks to take down a cartel-connected drug trafficking ring.

Now, more than a dozen people are being indicted as part of the investigation into the ring that distributes fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin throughout western Washington, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington announced via a news release Monday.

The traffickers transported narcotics from Mexico, through California, to Washington, using a semi-truck at times. Drug deals spanned from Whidbey Island and Arlington to Tacoma and Lacey.  Truck driver Isabel Villarreal Zapien, 44, a Mexican citizen, was arrested in January 2024 and is being charged in the indictment.

“This Sinaloa Cartel-affiliated drug trafficking group brought misery and death to our community,” David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division, stated in the release.

The drug ring is reportedly led by Rosario Abel “Joaquin” Camargo Banuelos, 31, and his brother Francisco “Fernando” Camargo Banuelos, 24, who are based in the Sinaloa area of Mexico. 

Law enforcement seized hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine and fentanyl, which could have amounted to 6.9 million lethal doses, according to Reames.

“This fentanyl could have killed everyone living in the Seattle-Tacoma metro area,” he stated. “The entire Puget Sound region is safer without the Camargo Banuelos brothers poisoning our communities.”

Other alleged members of the drug trafficking ring named in the indictment are: Jose Mejia Ortiz, 30, a citizen of Mexico; Juan Carlos Garcia Olais, 28, a citizen of Mexico; Jorge Boneo Nieblas, 21; Ivan Garcia Camacho, 30; Eder Ramirez Pino, 33, previously removed from the U.S.; Rosendo Vazquez Medrano, 37, a Mexican national previously removed from the U.S.; Kevin Alexander Misacango Solano, 23; Karim Davis, 48, of Everett; Tyler Johnson, 38, of Shoreline; Israel Davis, 43, of Shoreline; Alex Phan, 19, of Everett.

Five of the defendants are also charged with firearm violations.

“This indictment names not only the redistributors in the Western District of Washington, but also the brothers in Mexico who profited by spreading their poisons and addiction in the Pacific Northwest,” Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Miller stated in the release. “We will work with DOJ’s Office of International Affairs to hold all the conspirators accountable here in the U.S. and abroad.”

4 additional defendants charged in connection with cartel-linked drug ring

Four additional defendants were arrested in early August: Derel Gabelein, 37, of Greenbank, Whidbey Island, is charged with conspiracy and possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute. Aaron Knapp, 52, of Everett, was charged with conspiracy and possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute.

John Hardman, 57, of Everett, was charged with conspiracy and possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute. Jose Felix German, 34, a Mexican citizen, was charged with being an alien in possession of a firearm. 

The defendants were charged by criminal complaint with being part of the drug trafficking conspiracy. They bring the total number of defendants in the case to 19.

Thirteen defendants are in custody, while six are being sought by law enforcement, the attorney’s office noted.

Reames said while this operation was significant, the Sinaloa Cartel still maintains a presence in Washington.

“The DEA and our partners around the world are focusing all our efforts on breaking the Sinaloa Cartel with arrests and seizures everywhere,” Reames said at a press conference Monday. “They’re one of the most dangerous threats on the planet to the health and safety of our communities, and I hope that this operation is a step towards the removal of this threat from our homes.”

Due to the severity of the crime and the amount of drugs involved, defendants face serious prison time—some face a mandatory minimum 10-year sentence.

Contributing: Gwen Baumgardner, KIRO Newsradio

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