Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Two different drug distribution groups – one tied to Ecuador the other to Mexico
Seattle – Two long-term investigations in the Western District of Washington wrapped up in October 2025 with multiple arrests and significant seizures of narcotics and firearms, announced U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. This afternoon, Jose Isabel Sandoval Zuniga, 30, of Sammamish, Washington who served as a primary source of firearms for one of the groups, is being arraigned on gun and drug charges returned by the grand jury earlier this month.
“These successful law enforcement investigations will no doubt save lives – lives that could be lost to fentanyl overdoses or gun violence,” said U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. “Law enforcement carefully worked its way up the drug distribution chain to find those responsible. In one case they found multiple family members leading the distribution ring, in the other they found drug and gun distribution intertwined with illegal cockfighting and an improvised explosive.”
“Both of these groups showed a callous disregard for our communities, sometimes even bringing their young children along, as they peddled poison and dangerous firearms.” said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division. “Our teams seized a staggering 3.4 million potentially lethal doses of fentanyl from these two groups, enough poison to kill every person alive in King County. I am very proud of DEA and our team for ending this menace.”
The first takedown occurred on October 16, 2025, following a ten-month investigation. In December 2024, one of the leaders of the drug distribution ring, Carlos Gutama Escandon, 30, of Renton was stopped by Tulalip Tribal Police in Marysville and had fentanyl pills,
fentanyl powder and cash in his car. Over the following months law enforcement made undercover buys from the ring and surveilled drug deliveries and money laundering activity. The core group, the Gutama Escandon family, are originally from Ecuador.
In all, eight people have been charged in the case:
Oliver Gutama Escandon, 21, Renton, Washington
Josselin Gutama Escandon, 23, Renton, Washington
Henry Gutama Escandon, 34, Renton, Washington
Carlos Gutama Escandon, 30, Renton, Washington
Jessica Gutama Escandon, 32, Renton, Washington
Andres Giraldo Arias, 34, Renton, Washington
Stalyn Quezada Gutama, 23, Renton, Washington
Artur Shahnazaryan, 38, Redmond, Washington
In that drug investigation law enforcement seized four firearms, more than $220,000 in cash, two kilograms of fentanyl powder, three kilograms of methamphetamine, more than 36,000 fentanyl pills as well as smaller amounts of heroin and cocaine.
“This investigation demonstrates what we can accomplish through strong partnerships among local, state, and federal agencies,” said Snohomish County Sheriff Susanna Johnson. “What began with a proactive Tulalip Tribal Police traffic stop and continued through an extensive undercover operation by the Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force, resulted in the takedown of a drug trafficking organization operating across the Puget Sound region. Disrupting organizations like this directly reduces the supply of fentanyl and heroin in our communities. I am extremely proud of the dedication, persistence, and coordination by every agency involved, and we will continue working together to keep our neighborhoods safe and hold drug traffickers accountable.”
The second takedown occurred October 28, 2025, with ten arrests. The arrests were the culmination of a year-long investigation by area law enforcement officers. In the arrest operation on October 28, law enforcement seized approximately 105,000 fentanyl pills, 34 kilos of fentanyl powder, 3.7 kilos of methamphetamine, nearly a kilogram of heroin and 8.7 kilos of cocaine. Law enforcement also seized over $140,000 in cash.
Two men, Jose Isabel Sandoval Zuniga, and Edgar Rivas Robles, 33 of Centralia, Washington are tied to a rural property in Lewis
Country where law enforcement unearthed an improvised explosive device and an illegal cockfighting operation. The structure on the property contained 25 kilos of suspected fentanyl powder, more than 90,000 fentanyl pills and two dozen firearms. Zuniga was arrested in his vehicle with 1.6 kilos of suspected fentanyl. At Sandoval Zuniga’s Sammamish home investigators seized heroin, fentanyl, and a loaded .45 caliber semiautomatic pistol.
These defendants have now been indicted on various drug distribution and illegal firearms charges:
Luis Humberto Lamas-Guzman, 25, of Lynnwood, Washington
Eduardo Villavicencio-Salido, 44, of Marysville, Washington
Silvestre Ramos Martinez, 35, of Everett, Washington
Jose Navarro Hernandez “Robert”, 46, of Marysville, Washington
Jose Manuel Ramos Ibarra “Kora”, 28, of Everett, Washington
Marisol Perez-Diaz, 23, of Auburn, Washington
Jordan Martinez Gamez, 23, of Auburn, Washington
Jose Isabel Sandoval Zuniga, 30, of Sammamish, Washington
Roni Licona Escoto, 56, of Seattle
Edgar Rivas Robles, 33, of Centralia, Washington
The charges contained in the indictments are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
“These suspects were trafficking and distributing dangerous drugs throughout Seattle,” said Seattle Police Assistant Chief Nicole Powell. “The City of Seattle and the region around the city are safer because of the fantastic work done by SPD and our federal partners.”
“Getting illegal drugs and guns off our streets is not just a win on paper; it is a real, tangible win for everyone in our communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Carrie Nordyke, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Seattle Field Office. “We are proud that our combined efforts are making a real difference in people’s lives, and we will continue to work tirelessly with our partners to make our streets safer for all.”
These investigations and prosecutions are part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders.
Both investigations were led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in partnership with Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), the Seattle Police Department, and the Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force.
These agencies assisted in the law enforcement operation on October 16, 2025: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Tulalip Police Department.
These agencies assisted in the law enforcement operation on October 28, 2025: Seattle Police Department, North Sound Metro, Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, Washington State Patrol, Centralia Police Department, U.S Customs & Border Protection, the King County Sheriff’s Office and Valley SWAT comprised of officers from the Renton, Federal Way, Kent, Auburn, Tukwila, Des Moines and Port of Seattle police departments.