Twelve people have been arrested as part of a major bust into a drug trafficking ring based in Seattle’s University District.
The organization is believed to have been selling fentanyl and engaged in violence throughout the region.
A year-long investigation that utilized wire-tapping resulted in the execution of 31 search warrants Wednesday. Properties were searched across the region, from up in Everett to down in SeaTac.
More than a dozen tactical teams assisted with the effort, including nearly 600 law enforcement officers from as far away as Tampa, Florida.
“This was the largest coordinated operation in HSI (Homeland Security Investigations) Seattle history,” said HSI Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer.
The group is alleged to have used two distribution sites near the University of Washington, including a residential home near I-5 and a residential property across the street from a college dorm.
“This organization was sophisticated,” said Tessa M. Gorman, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington. “They used codes. They changed phones. They did counter surveillance tactics.”
While investigators are focused on the drug trafficking, they said they were more concerned about the violence associated with it.
“The killings, the murders, the shootings… have been prevalent throughout this organization and their co-conspirators,” Hammer said.
The group is alleged to be linked to violence throughout the city, including shootings at hookah bars in South Seattle.
On Wednesday, officers seized more than 50 firearms, assault rifles, suppressors, and glock switches, a dangerous illegal device that can turn ordinary guns into machine guns.
“It has no markings. It has no identifications,” Hammer said. “You cannot control the spray that goes down when you activate it.”
The devices are illegal to produce and possess, and investigators say the group was selling them.
“They’re weapons of death,” Hammer said.
Officers also seized thousands of rounds of ammunition, several hundreds of thousands of bulk cash and jewelry, one kilogram of fentanyl, and four kilograms of cocaine.
More arrests could come soon, investigators said.
Officials also plan to analyze the guns seized and cross-check them to see if they can be linked to any other crimes.
