SEATTLE—In a sweeping crackdown, federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies have arrested 19 individuals tied to a Sinaloa Cartel-affiliated drug trafficking network distributing fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin across western Washington, Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller announced on August 25, 2025.
The operation, which transported narcotics from Mexico through California to Washington using semi-trucks, stretched from Whidbey Island and Arlington in the north to Tacoma and Lacey in the south. This article details the scope of the operation, the key players involved, and the law enforcement efforts that led to significant seizures and arrests, underscoring the ongoing battle against one of the world’s most notorious drug cartels.
The investigation, spanning 2023 and 2024, targeted a drug ring led by brothers Rosario Abel “Joaquin” Camargo Banuelos, 31, and Francisco “Fernando” Camargo Banuelos, 24, both based in Sinaloa, Mexico.
The operation involved a network of couriers, distributors, and redistributors, with drugs transported by a co-conspirator, Isabel Villarreal Zapien, 44, a Mexican citizen and truck driver arrested in January 2024 on state charges and now facing federal charges in a 37-count indictment.
Other key members included Jose Mejia Ortiz, 30, and Juan Carlos Garcia Olais, 28, both Mexican citizens acting as couriers and distributors; Jorge Boneo Nieblas, 21, a distributor and stash house attendant; Ivan Garcia Camacho, 30, and Eder Ramirez Pino, 33, distributors; Rosendo Vazquez Medrano, 37, a redistributor previously removed from the U.S.; and Kevin Alexander Misacango Solano, 23, a courier and distributor. Local redistributors in Washington included Karim Davis, 48, Tyler Johnson, 38, Israel Davis, 43, and Alex Phan, 19, all from the Everett and Shoreline areas. Four additional defendants arrested during early August searches included Derel Gabelein, 37, of Whidbey Island; Aaron Knapp, 52, and John Hardman, 57, of Everett; and Jose Felix German, 34, a Mexican citizen previously deported in 2013.
Law enforcement seized staggering quantities of narcotics, including 465 pounds of methamphetamine, 269 pounds of fentanyl, 23 pounds of cocaine, and 6.4 pounds of heroin prior to the August 2025 takedown. During coordinated arrests and searches on August 4, 2025, authorities confiscated an additional nine kilograms of methamphetamine, over five kilograms of fentanyl, nearly four kilograms of cocaine, over one kilogram of heroin, seven pistols, three rifles, and $342,000 in suspected drug proceeds.
Notable seizures included a brick of fentanyl powder stamped with a swastika and $50,000 in cash at Hardman’s residence, and over two kilograms of fentanyl pills at Knapp’s home. “This Sinaloa Cartel-affiliated drug trafficking group brought misery and death to our community,” said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge of DEA Seattle. “The work of DEA and our partners seized hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine and fentanyl from this group that could have yielded a staggering 6.9 million lethal doses.”
The Sinaloa Cartel, one of the world’s most powerful drug trafficking organizations, operates across Mexico and the United States, with a history of violence and widespread drug distribution. Responsible for smuggling tons of narcotics annually, the cartel has been linked to thousands of deaths, including overdoses and violent crimes.
The investigation, part of Operation Take Back America, involved the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Seattle Police Department, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
“This investigation exemplifies the success achievable through effective interagency collaboration,” said HSI Seattle Acting Special Agent in Charge Colin Jackson.
Thirteen of the 19 defendants are in custody, with six still being sought. The charges, carrying potential mandatory minimum sentences of ten years for some due to the drug quantities involved, highlight the government’s commitment to dismantling cartel operations. “We will work with DOJ’s Office of International Affairs to hold all the conspirators accountable here in the U.S. and abroad,” Miller stated.
On August 25, 2025, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia, 75, a principal leader of the cartel, pled guilty to charges of leading a continuing criminal enterprise and racketeering. Zambada is also charged with murder and drug conspiracies, and violations of state law for murder and kidnapping for conduct between Jan. 1, 2000, and April 11, 2012. His sentencing is set for January 13, 2026.
“This foreign terrorist committed horrific crimes against the American people — he will now pay for those crimes by spending the rest of his life behind bars in an American prison,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Garcia’s rise to power began with the Cartel’s inception and ended with his arrest in July 2024. Previously known as the Mexican Federation, the Cartel is a drug trafficking organization based in Sinaloa, Mexico, that since approximately the late 1980s has imported lethal quantities of narcotics — including, among others, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl — into the United States and laundered billions of dollars in drug proceeds back to Mexico, the DOJ reports.
Garcia will face a mandatory minimum term of life in prison for leading a continuing criminal enterprise, and a maximum sentence of life in prison on the RICO count. As part of the plea agreement, Zambada Garcia also agreed to the entry at sentencing of a $15 billion forfeiture money judgment.
Author: Mario Lotmore
One Response
Yall should update your article. Another man named Levi F. Graham (age 39) was just arrested as a co conspirator to this ring. He’s a person I know personally and I’m so glad he’s behind bars where he belongs.