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https://mynorthwest.com/3687646/rantz-many-suspects-massive-drug-bust-illegal-immigrants-two-deported-operation/

Rantz: Many suspects in massive drug bust are illegal immigrants, two
recently deported
Oct 31, 2022, 5:20 PM | Updated: Nov 1, 2022, 7:21 am

BY JASON RANTZ
The Jason Rantz Show, 3pm-6pm on KTTH

A coordinated west coast drug operation nabbed eleven suspects allegedly
tied to Mexican drug cartels. Six additional suspects were previously
indicted and arrested in September.

Several are illegal immigrants, including two who were recently
deported, spotlighting the dangerous open border that allows bad actors
to bring deadly fentanyl and meth to the country.

At least six suspects are believed to be in this country illegally from
Mexico, according to two sources speaking to the Jason Rantz Show on
KTTH on the condition of anonymity, as they’ve not been authorized to
reveal this information.

Of the six suspects, there are at least two who were previously deported.

Jose Paleo, a 29-year-old from La Mirada, California, was reportedly
deported within the last two months before illegally crossing back into
the country, according to a source. Other suspects may also be illegal
immigrants, but their status is unknown, pending court hearings.

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The operation and suspects
With some 40,000 homeless people, many of them addicts, it’s lucrative
for cartels to funnel their drugs to the Pacific Northwest.

Federal law enforcement targeted 14 locations in Washington and
California, in addition to seizing two RVs full of drugs. The
investigation involved intercepted communications and physical surveillance.

The majority of the suspects live in Washington, and the drugs were
Seattle-bound. Local areas targeted include Kent, West Seattle, Ballard,
and Bothell, according to federal authorities.

Mexican cartels supplied local Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTO) with
the product in Los Angeles, to be trafficked to Seattle, where drug use
was decriminalized. The US Attorney’s Office alleges several suspects in
DTOs conspired to distribute meth, fentanyl, and other controlled
substances.

The operation successfully took 1,000 pounds of meth and over 350,000
fentanyl pills off the streets. Additionally, authorities found 4.5
kilos of heroin, 67 guns, and more than $1 million in cash across the
three states.

The defendants are charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled
substances and possessing controlled substances with intent to distribute.

In addition to Paleo, a source says Agustin Gutierrez Valencia (32, of
Kent), Daniel Vazquez Arroyo (32, of Kent), Rosalio Reynoso Arellano
(51, of Los Angeles), Ernesto Casillas (46, of Los Angeles), and Benigno
Hernandez aka Ivan Santos Arellano (32, of Kent) are illegal immigrants.
It’s unclear which of these suspects has been previously deported.

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Street-level drugs
The seized drugs are the supply flooding the streets of Seattle and
surrounding cities. They’re most often found in encampments and
no-barrier and low-barrier housing. These drugs fuel the homelessness
crisis.

Fentanyl has already killed a record high 492 people in King County, up
from 385 in 2021. Meth is the second leading cause of drug overdose
death, already exceeding last year’s record high of 364 fatal overdoses
with 365.

While people die, cartels and DTOs bring in hundreds of millions of dollars.

Mexican drug cartels, using ingredients from China, traffic manufactured
fentanyl through the open southern border.

Meth is usually a direct product of the cartels, with cocaine usually
coming through South America. It’s cheap enough to bring in hundreds of
thousands of dollars a day when sold to homeless addicts who engage in
property crime and fencing to maintain their habit.

While the seized drugs were destined for Seattle, DTOs ship drugs across
the country. While these arrests were significant, there are hundreds
more involved with DTOs in King County alone.

Listen to the Jason Rantz Show on weekday afternoons from 3:00 p.m. –
6:00 p.m. on KTTH 770 AM (HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to
the podcast. Follow @JasonRantz on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Check back frequently for more news and analysis.

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