Fourteen people were indicted and 11 arrested as part of a sweeping federal drug trafficking investigation targeting narcotics distribution in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District and surrounding homeless encampments, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller at a press conference in Seattle.
The indictments, announced in late May and followed by coordinated arrests last week, stem from an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation led by the FBI, Seattle Police Department, and Drug Enforcement Administration.
Officials say the defendants trafficked large quantities of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl from California into Western Washington.
“This trafficking group was a major supplier of deadly drugs to the International District and other communities throughout the Seattle area,” said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Seattle Field Division. “The fentanyl powder and pills our team seized in this case could have yielded enough lethal doses to kill everyone in Seattle twice.”
The 14 individuals are charged in two separate indictments. Seven are accused of conspiring to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin, while the other seven face charges of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine.
Defendants charged in first indictment:
- Octavio Salazar Palma, 33, of Federal Way, WA
- Luis Soto Lara, 47, of Vancouver, WA
- Juan Ramirez Recinos, 41, of Burien, WA (fugitive)
- German Juarez-Otanez, 34, of Bothell, WA (fugitive)
- Alexander Emilio Cozza, 42, of Seattle
- Marco Antonio Bobadilla, 33, of Pacific, WA
- Isai Gamboa Pacheco, 55, of Everett, WA
Defendants charged in second indictment:
- Daniel Ibarra Loera, 31, of Kent, WA
- Jose Garcia Corona, 61, of Seattle
- Leonardo Rojas Cruz, 53, of Federal Way, WA
- Oscar Omar Serrano Serrano, 31, of Algona, WA
- Juan Lopez Roblero, 43, of Tukwila, WA
- Giovanni Antonio Garduno Garcia, 46, of Issaquah, WA
- Sang Su, 44, of Seattle (U.S. citizen, fugitive)
Investigators executed 16 search warrants on May 29 across Washington, Oregon, and California, including locations in Federal Way, Everett, Issaquah, Kent, and Seattle.
Authorities seized more than seven kilograms of cocaine, 18 kilograms of methamphetamine, 57,000 fentanyl pills, 17 firearms, and $353,000 in cash.
Seattle Police Chief Shon F. Barnes said the group “preyed on the homeless and drug addicted” and “terrorized people living and working in the Chinatown-International District and South Seattle.” He praised the coordinated work of detectives and federal agencies.
The case builds on previous charges filed in January 2025, when five Washington-based individuals connected to the same trafficking operation were indicted.
Since then, law enforcement expanded its efforts beyond Washington, tracking the drug supply chain to sources in Oregon and Southern California.
In March 2025 alone, the investigation led to the seizure of 100 pounds of meth, 111 kilos of cocaine, 19 kilos of fentanyl powder, 250,000 fentanyl pills, and four kilos of heroin—an estimated street value of nearly $3 million.
The suspects face a range of federal charges that, in some cases, carry mandatory minimum prison sentences of 10 years.
Officials are still working to determine the citizenship status of several defendants.
“This investigation draws from the resilience of our communities,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Carrie Nordyke of IRS-Criminal Investigation in Seattle. “Illegal drug trafficking devastates lives and affects us all.”
The investigation involved multiple agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Washington National Guard Counterdrug Program, Oregon State Police, and the Clark County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey Conzatti and Brian Wynne are prosecuting the case.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Law enforcement leaders, including Chief Barnes, did not rule out additional indictments as part of this case.
“We are committed to doing this again and again and again,” Barnes said. ”Until people understand that Seattle is not the place it used to be.”
Drug-related arrests in Seattle were up in 2024. Last year, there were 953 drug-related arrests in Seattle, up from a recent low of 219 arrests in 2021.
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