An inside look into massive Burien drug bust that netted ghost guns, cartel cash
BURIEN, Wash. - Police in King County have not once, but twice infiltrated dealers connected with the notorious Sinaloa drug cartel and confiscated more than $1 million worth of drugs along with guns and cash.
A special investigations unit of the King County Sheriff's Office operating out of the Burien Police Department served a search warrant on Friday in Federal Way on the same group of drug distributors it busted in December.
Friday’s confiscation included 9.9 pounds of methamphetamine, 4.4 pounds of heroin, 6.8 pounds of cocaine, 36,109 M30 fentanyl pills, $40,000 in cash and seven guns, including one ghost gun.
According to investigators, the estimated street value of the drugs seized is $1,154,750.
They say the whole price of drugs is very low right now. Fentanyl pills can be bought wholesale for $2 to $3 a pill and sold on the street for $10 to $20 each because the demand on the street is so high.
Four men were arrested in connection with the search warrant. Officer’s nicknamed the operation ‘Ram 2.’
"The reasons why we called it Ram 2 is because it's the second time we've done the same operation or the same search warrant on the same people bringing drugs into south King County," said Burien Police Chief Ted Boe, who is also a Major with the Sheriff’s Office.
The symbol of a scorpion is clearly visible on a tightly wrapped roll of heroin-- it's the emblem used by the Sinaloa cartel operating out of Mexico.
Chief Boe called the bust a "disruption" in the flow of drugs into south King County, saying the cartel will just recruit more people at the border to become drug distributors in King County.
"It's a disruption because it will be replaced in the next three to six months with new players," said Chief Boe.
In December, the same unit confiscated $294,000 of seized drugs and cash from the same local organization. The group confiscated 19 pounds of methamphetamine, 6.5 pounds of heroin, half a pound of cocaine, 13,000 counterfeit Percocet pills, $40,000 cash and one gun.
Seven people were involved in that operation, but investigators said of those arrested, some made bail and it’s believed they fled to Mexico.
The four that were arrested on Friday had bail hearings on Monday. The King County Prosecutor had requested bail set at $50,000, but a judge dropped it to $25,000.
According to the jail roster Wednesday morning, all four suspects made bond and were released.
Investigators said they believed some of the suspects could head to Mexico.
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