ATF operation in Washington nets 42 defendants

Moses Lake, WA - Yesterday, ATF and the Moses Lake Police Department Street Crimes Unit, with assistance from other law enforcement partners, arrested six suspects and executed eight simultaneous search warrants between Moses Lake and Spokane, Washington. Floyd Young, Eutimio De Padua Contreras, Wilmer Garcia-Marquez, Juan Preciado, Juvenal Herrera-Mata, and Cristobal Rios Sostenes were arrested for various offenses, including unlawful firearm possession, distribution of methamphetamine, and distribution of cocaine. These individuals were the final six arrests stemming from ATF Operation 11^th Hour, a 15-month collaborative effort to reduce violent crime in the Grant County area.

ATF Operation 11^th Hour was initiated after a gang-style shooting in Moses Lake tragically claimed the life a 14-year-old and put several others in the hospital with gunshot wounds. This operation specifically targeted individuals with a high propensity of violence, gang members, those who traffic in the tools of violence, and armed drug traffickers and their organizations.

"Keeping our communities safe requires more than individual agencies working in isolation: it requires a unified commitment to confronting those who commit violent crimes and threaten the safety of our residents," said Jonthan Blais, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Seattle Field Division. "This operation is a clear demonstration of the strength of our partnerships and our collective resolve. By targeting violent offenders and removing unlawful firearms and dangerous drugs and from our streets, we are disrupting the criminal activity that fuels violence and puts our residents at risk. ATF will continue to leverage every available resource and partnership to hold violent offenders accountable and reduce the threat they pose to the public."

Over the course of the operation, several local, state, and federal agencies joined forces to execute 54 federal search warrants and 37 state search warrants, netting 42 total defendants. Additionally, the following items have been seized: 25 firearms, 9 vehicles, approximately 42lbs of meth, more than 1,000 fentanyl pills, almost 2lbs of fentanyl powder, and more than 2lbs of cocaine.

"This case is an excellent example of the impact that can be made when federal and local law enforcement work together to target issues in our communities," said City of Moses Lake Police Department Chief David Sands. "I am grateful for all the work done at every level of this operation to take illegal weapons and drugs off our streets."

"Drug trafficking and violence go hand in hand, putting innocent lives and entire communities at risk," said Robert A. Saccone, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division. "This operation demonstrates what we can accomplish when law enforcement partners unite to take dangerous drugs, firearms, and violent offenders off our streets. Through Fentanyl Free America, DEA will continue working alongside our federal, state, and local partners to disrupt the fentanyl supply chain, reduce its availability, and save American lives."

Of the 42 defendants identified during this operation, 24 have been federally indicted and 6 are facing state charges.

Operation 11^th Hour was initiated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Moses Lake Police Department Street Crimes Unit, with assistance from DEA, U.S. Border Patrol, IRS-CI, FBI, Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board, Washington State Patrol, U.S. Marshals Service - Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force (PNVOTF), and the Grant County Sheriff's Office Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team (INET).

Those individuals who have been federally indicted are being prosecuted by the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Washington. Those facing state charges are being prosecuted by the Grant County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.