This story was originally published on MyNorthwest.com.
An 18-month-long wiretap investigation led to Tuesday’s sentencing of a Tacoma man who distributed massive amounts of fentanyl pills after previously being caught with a large load of methamphetamine.
Rogelio Pena, 22, was sentenced to 66 months in prison and is one of 13 people who have been indicted in this case since May 2024, where Pena was a trusted member of the conspiracy, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced.
“Whether riding with a 28-pound load of methamphetamine, or attempting to deliver 20,000 fentanyl pills, this defendant did not let intervention by law enforcement stop him,” U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd stated. “Those who deliver these poisons to our communities face significant time in prison.”
What the 18-month drug trafficking investigation uncovered
The wiretap investigation seized approximately 81 kilograms of methamphetamine, 49 kilograms of fentanyl pills, and 15 kilograms of cocaine.
On June 28, 2023, Pena was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped by law enforcement. The vehicle contained more than 25 pounds of methamphetamine.
After the traffic stop, Pena was heard on the wiretap arranging the delivery of 20,000 fentanyl pills. The DOJ noted Pena was so trusted by the drug trafficking organization that he controlled the possession of keys to the storage area, where the group held its drug supply.
After several other rental cars were stopped with drugs on their way north, the conspirators began to transport the drugs to Seattle via bus.
On April 11, 2024, the Portland Police Department seized 7.5 kilograms of fentanyl-laced pills from an abandoned bag at a bus station, left behind by one of the conspirators. Later in May, local law enforcement swooped in and made arrests.
In the request for a 66-month sentence, prosecutors wrote to the court stating that “Pena, along with his co-conspirators, was responsible for flooding these highly dangerous and addictive substances into the community for profit and contributed to the addiction of an unknown number of individuals. The drugs that Pena was peddling caused irreparable harm to the community in general as well as to the families whose members are addicted to controlled substances. During 2023, when Pena was actively engaged in drug trafficking, there were an overwhelming 1,340 fatal overdose deaths in King County alone.”
Robert A. Saccone, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Seattle Field Division, stated that the fentanyl seized in the case contained enough lethal doses to kill more than 200,000 people in western Washington.
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