Law enforcement officials announced on Monday that a major operation against drug trafficking and violent crime has resulted in federal charges against 13 “armed and violent drug traffickers” and the seizure of thousands of pounds of illegal drugs in Washington state.
In a Monday press release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington confirmed that 13 individuals have been arrested and charged following a joint local, federal, and tribal investigation that was coordinated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The press release noted that the operation started in 2024 and concluded in June and that it “targeted violent individuals and armed drug traffickers on the Yakama Nation and in the Yakima Valley with the goal to disrupt drug distributors operation both on and off the reservation.”
“Fentanyl continues to be one of the most dangerous substances threatening our communities,” Acting U.S. Attorney Stephanie Van Marter said. “Thanks to the hard work and tireless dedication of our tribal, state and federal law enforcement partners, working side by side with members of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Yakima, offenders have been removed from our communities and families are safer today.”
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According to the attorney’s office, law enforcement officials seized 12 firearms, $22,512, 4,704 pills laced with fentanyl, 7,100 pounds of marijuana, 336 pounds of methamphetamine, almost 25 pounds of cocaine, and 7 pounds of fentanyl powder.
In Monday’s press release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington confirmed that charges have been filed against 55-year-old Angel Navarro Aleman, 23-year-old Jose Caudillo-Ascencio, 31-year-old Jesus Caudillo, 54-year-old Johnny Thomas Axtell, 37-year-old Israel Nicolas Castaneda, 31-year-old Samantha Rasberry-Besa, 37-year-old Lonzell Hawk Lucei, 45-year-old Miguel Angel Alvarado-Munoz, 39-year-old Ira Charles Pete, 29-year-old Edgar Jovnni Nunez Bocanegra, and 38-year-old Fernando Gonzalez.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington also announced that 56-year-old Jose Francisco Aguirre and 70-year-old Hollis Marion Woodward pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the operation.
Monday’s press release noted that the federal government “anticipates bringing additional charges against other individuals” who were identified in the recent investigation.
