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Posted on 04/04/2008 11:01:44 AM PDT by AuntB
Authorities said Thursday morning that they’ve arrested 41 members of the Barragan Drug Trafficking organization, which they say has been importing 200 pounds of pure crystal meth a month into the United States from Mexico and distributing it throughout Washington and across the country.
Five local men were among those busted over the last 36 hours, authorities announced at a press conference this morning in Tacoma.
In Woodland, police and drug agents served search warrants at 620 Bozarth St. and 733 Second St. and arrested Epifanio Barragan Estrada, Francisco Manuel Ruiz Chavez and Jesus Larios Ruiz. Their ages and other personal information was not immediately available.
In Long Beach, the officers arrested Miguel Barragan Farias and Francisco Cortez Villa. Other details of those arrests also were not immediately available.
If convicted of drug trafficking, the suspects could get 10 years to life in prison.
"These arrests have removed the largest drug trafficking organization in south Puget Sound and on the Olympic Peninsula," said U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Sullivan. "For many years these defendants spread their highly addictive poison, profiting on the pain of others, shipping their proceeds back to Mexico to fund construction of lavish homes and other luxuries."
An estimated 300 law enforcement agents and officers were involved in the roundup. In the last 24 hours, they seized 20 pounds of meth, 41 firearms and $100,000 in cash, according to a U.S. Department of Justice press release.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, the trafficking organization was based in the Olympia area and led by three brothers. The Woodland locations, authorities said, were used to distribute meth into Southwest Washington and the Portland metro area.
Epifanio Barragan Estrada is a cousin of the three brothers considered the leaders of the alleged cartel, according to authorities, and he is identified in a federal indictment as a major player in the drug distribution network.
Federal officials identified the two alleged kingpins as brothers Herminio Barragan Mendoza and Ulises Barragan Mendoza, both of Lacey, Wash. The name of the third brother, who remains in Mexico, was not released.
Authorities said the alleged cartel controlled the methamphetamine distribution network along every step of the route from their hometown of Arteaga, in the state of Michoacan, Mexico, to various stash houses in California and Washington. Members crossed the border with small quantities, which they later combined to distribution.
With a minimum street value of $1,900 per pound, the estimated monthly meth deliveries were worth approximately $400,000, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
Federal indictments were handed down Thursday against 22 of the alleged cartel, charging them with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and conspiracy to engage in money laundering. In addition, 19 other defendants face state charges.
Information about the suspects’ immigration and citizen status was not immediately available. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service will get involved only after drug charges are adjudicated, according to Cowlitz County Sheriff Bill Mahoney.
Several local law enforcement agencies were among a myriad of agencies that participated in the investigation and roundup. They include Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office, Wahkiakum County Sheriff’s Office, Kelso Police Department, Longview Police Department, Woodland Police Department, Pacific County Sheriff’s Department, Columbia River Drug Task Force and Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.
According to the Justice Department, the effort was an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation, providing supplemental federal funding to the federal and state agencies involved.
For more on this story, check tdn.com and Friday’s edition of The Daily News.
Federal indictments were handed down Thursday against:
Miguel Barragan Farias, Long Beach
Francisco Cortez Villa, Long Beach
Epifanio Barragan Estrada, Woodland
Jesus Larios Ruiz, Woodland
Francisco Manuel Ruiz Chavez, Woodland
Ulises Barragan Mendoza, Lacey, Wash.
Roberto Barragan Mendoza, Lacey, Wash.
Amador Heredia Mendoza, Lacey, Wash.
Herminio Barragan-Mendoza, Olympia
Samantha Mason, Olympia
Alejandro Calderon Franco, Olympia
Dennis Stengel, Olympia
Jose Barragan Zepeda, Aberdeen
Fernando Barragan Zepeda, Aberdeen
Veronica Pardo Martinez, Aberdeen
Luis Alvarez Ponce, Aberdeen
Adrian Perez Garcia, Aberdeen
Martin Barragan Martinez, Aberdeen
Bob Blanchard, Aberdeen
Salvador Pardo Martinez, Aberdeen
Tammy Jerome, Copalis Beach, Wash.
Omar Cardozo Candelario, Richland
In addition to the 22 federal arrests, 19 other defendants face state charges. Those names have not been released.
Press of Atlantic City, NJ - 20 hours ago MAYS LANDING - An illegal Mexican immigrant was arrested after a two-month-long investigation into the manufacturing and trafficking of fictitious ... http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct=us/0-0&fp=47f6156374f45427&ei=IGX2R_nGD6OQqwPciNwP&url=http%3A//www.pressofatlanticcity.com/179/story/123067.html&cid=1148010125&usg=AFrqEzf3foY5Jfhou9jcLyCy9gmCEsEkCQ
and
Illegal Alien gets 84 days.... http://bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=162480&zoneid=500
BANGOR, Maine - A woman from El Salvador who worked for a Bangor cleaning company was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court to 84 days in jail or time served for having a fake Social Security card.
Rubidia Nohemy Mejia, 20, of Bangor pleaded guilty earlier this year.
She faced up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Mejia, who is the country illegally, is expected to be turned over to immigration officials for deportation.
She was arrested on Jan. 8 at the Bangor home of Manuel Antonio Cornejo, 29, owner of the cleaning business for which she and other illegal aliens worked.
Mejia told investigators that she was distantly related to Cornejo.
Cornejo, a native of El Salvador, and who is an American citizen, pleaded guilty to harboring and employing illegal aliens in January. His cleaning business was hired as a subcontractor by a Danvers, Mass., firm to clean the floors of eight Hannaford supermarkets in Greater Bangor, Bucksport and Belfast.
Hannaford Bros. Co. has not been charged, according to court documents.
Cornejo, who is free on $10,000 unsecured bond, faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for harboring illegal aliens and six month in prison and a fine of up to $3,000 per undocumented worker on the charge of unlawful employment of aliens.
and
US Immigration officials arrest 13 illegal workers KBCI CBS 2, ID - Apr 3, 2008 ICE initiated this investigation after receiving information that illegal aliens might be employed at the wood products company. ...
http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct=us/5-0&fp=47f6156374f45427&ei=IGX2R_nGD6OQqwPciNwP&url=http%3A//www.2news.tv/news/local/17264229.html&cid=1148227814&usg=AFrqEzczg3tmRi4Qw_-2Dp_0R4z3wzen9w
Hmm. I wonder how "local" they really are?
“A number of them were illegal, but I don’t know how many,” said Emilie Langlie of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. She said regardless of their immigration status, which will be determined Monday, the government intends to adjudicate them in America before considering deportation.
Paging John McCain...
That should be loco, not local.
I wonder if this case won’t spill over into Oregon? Long Beach is just across the river from Astoria.
Just a bunch of undocumented immigrants doing the work Americans won’t do. (sarc/)
Evergreen State Ping
Say WA? Evergreen State ping
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Hmmmmm....the only “local” one seems to be Tammy Jarome....
Yes. It’s virtually everywhere now, too. ...even school teachers, security guards and justice system workers. For the first few years, they’ll maintain at work and steal from their neighbors, vandalize, threaten, etc. They tend to show the more obvious physical signs later.
I guess they don’t have anything better to do in Aberdeen.
I beg to differ, Sandy.....
8^(
Are you from there?
My husband is from Hoquiam, so poking fun at Aberdeen is expected. :-)
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