On Tuesday, November 15 the DEA and Law enforcement agencies arrested 10 people for drug trafficking charges. Two the 10 were residents of Maple Valley.
The two-year investigation led law enforcement agencies to raid 14 locations throughout King and Pierce Counties as well as in Oregon according to U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes.
Business and Residential areas in the Maple Valley, Ravensdale, Enumclaw, Kent, Auburn, Federal Way, Bellevue, Graham, Puyallup, Tacoma and Springfield, Oregon were searched by law enforcement.
The defendants appeared in court on Tuesday and Wednesday, November 15 & 16.
Searches at various properties were conducted as well as thirteen vehicles associated with the drug trafficking organization. Members of the group allegedly transported drugs and money in hidden compartments of various vehicles. The businesses searched include a landscaping business, an auto wrecking yard, a motorsports/boat business and a pawn shop.
Over the course of the investigation, and with today’s searches, law enforcement has seized more than $350,000 in cash, more than thirty pounds of methamphetamine, cocaine and firearms.
Those arrested on the indictment today include: BERNABE NAVA AMBRIZ, 37, of Maple Valley; VINCENT PHILLIP CORSALETTI, 51, of Springfield, Oregon; SERAFIN MENDOZA CABRERA, 37, of Federal Way; SAUL MENDOZA CABRERA, 35, of Kent; ADAN GUTIERREZ RASO, 22, of Kent; JESSICA CARVER, 46, of Puyallup; and THOMAS RADFORD, 34, of Graham. Three additional defendants were arrested on criminal complaints: CLINTON BJORNSON, 34, of Bellevue; QUINN HINKLE, 45, of Tacoma; and JOEL CHAVEZ, 21, of Maple Valley.
The charges contained in the indictment and criminal complaints are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
This was an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation, providing supplemental federal funding to the federal and state agencies involved.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration in Tacoma and Eugene, Oregon, with assistance from the West Sound Narcotics Enforcement Task Force (WESTNET), Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, Portland (Oregon) Police Bureau, and Springfield (Oregon) Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Marci Ellsworth and Amy Jaquette.
