LYNNWOOD, Wash. — A North Sound mother is one of several people accused of running heroin out of their homes for a Mexican drug cartel.
Officers with the Snohomish County Drug Task Force seized 23 pounds of heroin, worth about $1 million dollars during several raids last week. Neighbors said the suspects didn’t live like drug dealers.
On Facebook, 28-year-old Krista Painter is an avid Seahawks fans who recently hosted a birthday party for her 10-year-old son at a community center.
"We've always felt safe but weird things happen," said a neighbor who was invited to come with her own children.
Detectives said Painter is also a drug dealer. Court papers said they found heroin on a scale in her Lynnwood home.
"I would guess a neighborhood would the best place to hide," said her neighbor.
Officers arrested five men and three women accused of running drugs for a Mexican cartel. James Painter, 27, is among them. He works for a tow truck company and lives in a newly remodeled home in a family-filled Shoreline neighborhood.
Officers stopped his car in Lynnwood and said they found 3 pounds of heroin inside.
We asked a man who answered the door if he was selling heroin at this house.
"I can't really tell you anything about that," he said, then closed the door.
Besides drugs, officers also seized a house, six cars and more than a half a million dollars in cash.
Carmelita Angeles runs an assisted living facility next to Krista’s home and said she had no idea what her neighbor was doing.
"It's just so scary and we cannot imagine having this kind of thing around here," she said.
Officers say the investigation is ongoing and they expect to make more arrests.
KIRO
