SEATTLE — Two brothers from Mexico were sentenced in Seattle’s U.S. District Court recently after being caught with multi-pound quantities of fentanyl and heroin following police surveillance of their drug trafficking deals.
Both brothers were caught with a total of more than 30 pounds of fentanyl powder and pills and a kilo of heroin, according to the DOJ.
29-year-old Benito Perez Aguilar, of Kent, was sentenced to 42 months in prison. He and his brother, 32-year-old Antonio Perez Aguilar of Mill Creek, Washington, were arrested in May 2025 following a drug trafficking investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The men allegedly shared the moniker “Miguel” in their drug trafficking, which spanned from 2022 to 2025. According to the DOJ, the DEA investigation documented various drug sales throughout western Washington, and neither brother has legal status in the U.S.
“These men were moving large amounts of fentanyl pills and powder in our community – they were not small-time dealers,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. “Particularly concerning, Benito Perez Aguilar, while driving impaired, caused a traffic accident on I-5 in 2017. He remained a fugitive on a state court warrant related to that case until his federal arrest last year.”
“This investigation shut down a significant fentanyl and heroin distribution operation that was putting lives at risk across western Washington,” said Robert A. Saccone, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division.
The judge ordered Benito Perez Aguilar to serve four years of supervised release following his prison term. However, he likely will be deported following prison due to a lack of legal status in the United States.
Last month, Antonio Perez Aguilar was sentenced to four years in prison. He had already been convicted in 2018 of Solicitation to Delivery of a Controlled Substance, Cocaine, in state court, for purchasing $105,000 worth of cocaine. He was sentenced to four months in prison in that case.