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Four charged in western WA drug trafficking conspiracy

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Published  January 13, 2026 1:36pm PST
Seattle
FOX 13 Seattle

The Brief

    • Federal authorities have charged four Washington residents for their roles in a major drug trafficking conspiracy.
    • Investigators discovered the group’s plan to trade 20 pounds of cocaine for 15 pounds of methamphetamine and $155,000; the exchange was intercepted by local police.
    • Search warrants executed on vehicles and residences uncovered over 10 kilograms of cocaine and several firearms, resulting in a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison for the defendants if convicted.

SEATTLE - Four Washington residents face federal charges in connection to a drug trafficking conspiracy, following a Homeland Security investigation.

The backstory:

According to the U.S. District Court in Seattle, defendants in the conspiracy include 29-year-old Luis Donaldo Galeana Garcia of Marysville, 33-year-old Juan Carlos Garnica Pacheco of Everett, 35-year-old Lorena Esquivel and 27-year-old Dustin Ray Binion of Bellingham.

The four suspects were identified by Homeland Security investigators as possible drug traffickers in 2025.

According to court records, federal agents learned in September 2025 that Galeana Garcia planned to exchange 20 lbs of cocaine for around 15 lbs of methamphetamine and $155,000. Agents say they identified the other three co-conspirators in the drug exchange.

Dig deeper:

Local police busted the exchange, and Galeana Garcia and Garnica Pacheco got out of their car and ran.

Authorities seized several cars and were granted warrants to search them. According to court records, they found more than 10 kg of cocaine and a firearm. They were able to identify the suspects and were granted search warrants at their homes last week.

Galeana Garcia was taken into federal custody on Monday. He, along with the other three suspects, face up to a minimum of 10 years in prison due to the amount of narcotics seized in this case.

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The Source: Information in this story comes from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

SeattleCrime and Public Safety