USA: DEA Arrest 19 People Of A Drug Trafficking Ring Operating Out Of Seattle, WA With Ties To The Sinaloa Cartel. 7 Arrested Were Americans. 7 Million Lethal Doses Of Fentanyl Seized.

🚨NO WHITE SUPREMACISTS INVOLVED🚨

🚨NO ISLAMIC JIHADISTS INVOLVED🚨

KING 5 Seattle published August 25, 2025: 19 charged in bust of Sinaloa Cartel-connected drug ring operating in western Washington. Investigators believe the ring is being run from Sinaloa, Mexico, by a pair of brothers.

FOX 13 Seattle published August 25, 2025: Washingtonians charged in Sinaloa cartel-connected drug bust. The DEA announced 19 people have been named in an indictment for smuggling fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin from Mexico to Washington state.

Fox13 News, Seattle, WA local

Washingtonians among 19 charged in major drug operation tied to Sinaloa cartel

written by Nia Wong

Monday August 25, 2025

SEATTLE - The Drug Enforcement Administration announced 19 people have been named in an indictment for smuggling fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin from Mexico to Washington state.

"The 269 pounds of fentanyl pills and powder seized in this case could yield a staggering 6.9 million lethal doses," said David Reames, Special Agent in Charge with the DEA Seattle Field Office. "This could have killed every person in every community in the Puget Sound region."

The backstory: The DEA says this investigation started two years ago with undercover DEA agents buying drugs from dealers in Tacoma, eventually tracking the case through California, Arizona and eventually to two brothers, Rosario Abel "Joaquin" Camargo Banuelos, 31, and his brother Francisco "Fernando" Camargo Banuelos, 24.

"From their base in Sinaloa, both these men directed this group that dealt death and despair in our community," said Reames.

The drug trafficking ring, allegedly led by the Camargo Banuelos brothers, is believed to be tied to the Sinaloa Cartel, a transnational crime syndicate that is now designated a foreign terrorist organization.

The DEA says drug deals from this ring went as far north as Whidbey Island and Arlington, and as far south as Tacoma and the Lacey area.

"Some of these shipments were so large they were brought in by semi-trucks," said Teal Miller, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington.

Dig deeper: With help from the DOJ, HSI and the Mexican government, along with a recent bust in early August which included the seizure of $650,000 and 11 firearms, the DEA says they were able to indict the following:

[BLEEP]

[BLEEP], a truck driver from Mexico, was arrested on state charges in January 2024 and is now charged federally in the 37-count indictment.

What's next: The DEA says due to the amount of drugs involved, some defendants face a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison.