Buried cache of explosives discovered in Puyallup

PUYALLUP — Federal investigators have discovered a buried cache of explosives and weapons in Puyallup, and they say it could be tied to to a fugitive and informant shot to death by bounty hunters two years ago.

The News Tribune of Tacoma reported that agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives recovered four improvised explosives, ammunition and guns on Friday, as well as blasting caps and a mortar round.

An ATF spokeswoman told the newspaper that the cache was connected to a man killed by bounty hunters two years ago. That matched the description of Roberto Pupo Roque, who was shot to death in Lakewood in 2008.

Roque had skipped out on a bail bond earlier that year, subsequently robbed the bail bond office, and was released after promising to act as a federal informant. Lakewood police concluded that the bounty hunters shot him in self-defense during a confrontation.

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