12 arrested as officers target 2 South Sound meth trafficking rings, U.S. attorney says

Twelve people are in custody and 22 pounds of methamphetamine have been seized as law enforcement dismantled two South Sound drug rings, U.S. attorney Annette Hayes announced Tuesday.

More than 150 law enforcement officers made the arrests following two wire-tap investigations in the wake of a March 2018 bust that resulted in more than 20 arrests. The defendants were scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Tacoma on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, officers searched dozens of homes and vehicles connected with the drug rings and found 22 pounds of meth, one pound of heroin, $48,000 and more than 40 firearms.

“Once again, federal, state and local law enforcement partners have come together to address the drug and gun crime plaguing communities in the South Sound,” Hayes said in a statement released by the Department of Justice. “The two groups arrested today have been charged with serious crimes involving methamphetamine, heroin and guns. (Tuesday) they appear in court to hear the charges against them – the beginning of the process to hold them to account and keep our communities safe.”

DEA special agent Keith Weis said, “These highly coordinated operations are purposely designed to disrupt the controlling elements who are responsible for importing dangerous amounts of methamphetamine and heroin into Western Washington.”

As the investigation unfolded, officers seized 25 pounds of meth in a car stopped on Interstate 5 in March, 2017. In three other stops between January 2017 and March 2018, officers seized about 14 pounds meth. Four people, all from the South Sound, were charged.

In the second, indictment, eight people (seven from the South Sound and one from California) were charged with trafficking meth and heroin. Officers search homes in Kent, Marysville, Seattle, Enumclaw and Lakewood in connection with this group.

The investigations was conducted by DEA Tacoma, the Tahoma Narcotics Enforcement Team (Washington State Department of Corrections, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office and the Auburn, Tacoma, Puyallup, Bonney Lake, and Lakewood police departments) and the Kent Police Department. The Auburn and Bonney Lake police departments assisted in the investigation.

This story was originally published May 9, 2018 at 8:04 AM with the headline "12 arrested as officers target 2 South Sound meth trafficking rings, U.S. attorney says."