Repeat Kent, WA drug trafficker sentenced to 10 years in prison
SEATTLE - A Kent resident was sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 10 years in prison for drug trafficking, officials announced.
The backstory:
Ramon Duarte Garcia, 38, was arrested in June 2024 following a four-year drug investigation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Seattle Police Department, and resulted in investigators seizing more than 32 kilograms of cocaine, 14 kilograms of meth, 83,000 fentanyl-laced pills, 3 kg. of heroin, 1 kg. of fentanyl powder and multiple firearms.
"In this investigation, federal and state investigators worked from the streets of Seattle to drug suppliers in Mexico and Colombia," said Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller in a statement. "Significant prison time is needed to stop his trafficking."
Duarte Garcia continued his drug trafficking activity despite being stopped by law enforcement twice in 2023. During those stops, law enforcement seized two firearms, meth, cocaine and over $11,000 from Duarte Garcia's vehicle.
During a July 2023 stop in California, authorities seized 12 lbs. of trafficked meth, a handgun and $10,000, where he would later be charged with drug trafficking by California officials.
Drugs and a firearm seized by police. (Photo courtesy of the Department of Justice )
After authorities stopped him from driving back to the Pacific Northwest with more trafficked drugs in June 2024, Duarte Garcia will now face 10 years in prison.
Prosecutors pushed for a 12-year sentence, stating that Duarte Garcia made the repeated choice to endanger communities by trafficking and distributing drugs on multiple occasions while armed, but the court ultimately decided on the 10-year sentence.
Duarte Garcia will likely be deported following his prison term, as he has overstayed his visa to be in the U.S. If Duarte Garcia stays in the country following his sentence, he will have three years of supervised release.
The investigation was a joint effort between U.S. law enforcement and the Colombian National Police.
The Source: Information in this article came from a Department of Justice press release.
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