A 21-year-old led a meth-trafficking ring. Now he faces a seven-year sentence
The U.S. District Court sentenced a 21-year-old Lakewood man to seven years in prison Friday for leading a drug-trafficking ring that distributed methamphetamines across the South Sound.
Antonio Velazquez Ecinas was one of eight members of a drug trafficking organization indicted in March 2025, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Velazquez Ecinas first came to authorities’ attention at 17 years old during a traffic stop with his aunt and codefendant, Martha Velazquez Sanchez, in 2022, the release said.
Law enforcement discovered the pair was traveling to California with 14 pounds of methamphetamine. Neither was charged at that time, according to the release.
Two years later, Antonio was leading a drug operation, authorities said.
According to case records, Velazquez Ecinas arranged for multi-pound drug deliveries that were distributed by his aunt or his brother, Keven Velazquez Encinas.
“Controlled substances have led to hundreds of thousands of overdose deaths a year,” prosecutors wrote when asking for an eight-year sentence. “It is as if we are living in an unending pandemic. But this epidemic only persists because of drug traffickers such as the defendant.”
Chief Judge Estudillo sentenced Velazquez Ecinas to 84 months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release.
