MONROE — Drug traffickers associated with a notorious cartel believed to be behind an onslaught of violence in Mexico have been stationed in Snohomish County and distributing large quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine, federal authorities announced Thursday.
Federal agents and local police on Wednesday raided 19 locations in the Pacific Northwest, including houses and apartments in Monroe, Sultan and Everett. Three additional homes in northern California were raided.
Investigators seized 28 pounds of meth, 22 pounds of cocaine, seven guns, an explosive device and about $200,000, federal agents said. They also seized numerous vehicles. Some of those were outfitted with secret compartments believed to be used to carry large shipments of drugs and cash.
A Seattle grand jury indicted 16 people last week on federal drug and money laundering charges. Four others have been charged by complaint for conspiracy to distribute drugs. More than half of those arrested are from Snohomish County, primarily Monroe.
“They were independent distributors for the drug cartel in Mexico,” Monroe Police Chief Tim Quenzer said. “They were bringing the drugs up from California and putting them back into our community.”
Thursday’s raids in Washington were part of a nationwide roundup of drug smugglers tied to La Familia cartel, an increasingly powerful and violent drug organization based in the Mexican state of Michoacan. The cartel is believed to be responsible for the torture and murder of a dozen Mexican police officers in July. The cartel also is believed to be a large supplier of illegal drugs to the U.S.
More than 300 arrests were made in 19 states in the last two days, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced Thursday in Washington, D.C. The arrests took place in 38 cities from Monroe to the East Coast.
Federal authorities called it the largest single strike against a Mexican drug cartel operating in the U.S.
The South Snohomish County Narcotics Task Force in December began investigating Washington’s suspected ringleader Arturo Barajas Garcia, of Renton. The task force, made up of detectives from Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace and Edmonds, and agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration used wiretaps to listen in on the organization’s phone conversations, court papers said.
The suspected traffickers also sold drugs to undercover officers, court papers said. In one sale, a suspect brought a young child to a drug deal in the parking lot at a Monroe grocery store, authorities said.
Children were living at almost all of the locations that were raided in Snohomish County, said Quenzer, whose SWAT team searched three of the homes targeted Thursday.
Quenzer said it was unclear why the group was based primarily in Monroe. The houses drew little attention from police or neighbors, he said.
“They were somewhat flying under the radar, blending in,” Quenzer said.
Often large drug organizations operate in rural areas, where it may be easier to conceal their activities, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Cornell said. Cornell is a Snohomish County deputy prosecutor specially assigned to prosecute federal drug cases.
Investigators believe the drugs were staying in the area.
Police are almost exclusively finding “ice” methamphetamine in Snohomish County. The higher-quality drug is generally produced in “super labs” in Mexico, according to authorities.
“Our investigation is continuing. Just because we made these arrests it certainly doesn’t mean the drug problem is resolved in our city or state,” Quenzer said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com.
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