Lakewood man who posted pictures of cars, jewelry to glamorize drug dealing sentenced
A Lakewood man who used social media to post glamorous pictures of what he presented as the drug-dealing life was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Tacoma, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.
Joel Adrian Valencia Rosas, 28, received a 10-year prison sentence for leading a South Sound drug-trafficking organization that distributed cocaine, fentanyl and marijuana to places across the country, including Georgia and Ohio and in Western Washington, the release said.
He was indicted in December 2023 following an investigation that led to the arrest of Valencia Rosas along with several others between 18-28 years old, according to the release. The investigation turned up almost 52 kilograms of cocaine, over 23 kilograms of fentanyl pills and 131 kilograms of marijuana. Case records indicate Valencia Rosas began distributing drugs in at least 2018.
The release said that Valencia Rosas used social media, beginning with Snapchat until his account was closed in December 2022 and then with Instagram, to recruit young people into his ring. He continued posting through 2023.
“On social media he not only posted the drugs available for sale and their prices, he also attempted to portray the drug trafficking lifestyle as glamorous and lucrative, posting pictures of himself with firearms, flashy vehicles, and cash,” U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman said in the release.
None of the people Rosas recruited to help transport hundreds of thousands of dollars from drug sales across the country, “driving cash back to him or flying with it stuffed into their bags,” received a share of the profits, according to a statement to the court by assistant U.S. Attorney Marci Ellsworth.
The Drug Enforcement Administration led the investigation with the support of other national, regional and Pierce County-based law enforcement agencies.
