5 more arrested in Tri-Cities as part of Eastern Washington’s largest federal drug bust
Five more people are being held in the Benton County jail after the largest Tri-Cities drug bust by federal agents early this month.
Initially, Amador Sanchez was arrested and booked into jail.
Court records now show that Sergio Sanchez, Eliodoro Tapia, Nika Eloisa Salazar, Cassaundra Rachel Pollard and Alma Rosa Sanchez also have been arrested in the federal case.
All six suspects are accused of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, with some also suspected of distributing or of possessing with the intent to distribute illegal drugs.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration served search warrants at homes March 3 across the Tri-Cities.
The seizure took in $2 million, more than 164 pounds of powdered fentanyl, 200 pounds of methamphetamine and 16 guns, according to preliminary estimates released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington three days after the searches.
Photos taken at the Tri-Cities DEA office show dozens of stacks of $100 bills in plastic bags and cases, and tables piled with drugs.
Four of the suspects have pleaded innocent in the case, with Salazar and Tapia not yet entering pleas.
Three of the suspects are felons who previously served sentences for illegal drug convictions, but possessed guns.
Felon accused of having 16 guns
Amador Sanchez is accused of using multiple homes, including at least one in each of the Tri-Cities, to conceal his drug trafficking, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
He was arrested early this month when law enforcement searched his home on the 1900 block of Sheridan Place in south Richland. He had reported to his probation officer that he was living on the 400 block of West Shoshone Street in Pasco.
He was on probation after a previous federal drug trafficking conviction and has been held in the Benton County jail since Tuesday for a suspected federal supervised release violation.
Sanchez was sentenced to 15 years in prison followed by 10 years probation in 2013 as one of 14 defendants in a Spokane methamphetamine distribution case. According to court documents, he sold meth from the Tri-Cities to be distributed in Spokane.
According to a March 18 indictment, he had 15 pistols and one rifle, despite being a felon prohibited from having guns.
Court documents said Amador and Alma Sanchez may forfeit nearly $2.3 million.
Two other felons also on probation
Tapia and Salazar, both felons, are accused of having a .38 -caliber pistol.
They may forfeit about $211,000 according to court documents.
Tapia was sentenced to prison for three years and five months in October 2021 for importing meth to Southern California and was serving five months probation when he was arrested in Washington.
Salazar was sentenced in Utah in 2021 to five years and four months for conspiracy to distribute meth and was on probation when she was arrested in Washington.
“The enormous quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine seized in this case had the potential to cause devastating harm across our region,” said Pete Serrano, first assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, when the first arrest in the case was announced. “Our office is committed to aggressively prosecuting those who traffic deadly drugs – especially repeat offenders who continue to endanger public safety.”
The seizure of money, drugs and guns marks significant progress in the DEA Fentanyl Free America campaign, said Robert Saccone, DEA Seattle Field Division special agent in charge.
The initiative launched by the Trump administration in December aims to disrupt the fentanyl supply chain and reduce the availability of the synthetic opioids, saving lives.
The case has been investigated by the DEA Tri-Cities office, which includes state law enforcement partners as well as federal agents from the U.S. Patrol and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, U.S. Marshals, and Homeland Security Investigations.