Source: United States Department of Justice News
Moses Lake and Yakima, Washington – On May 11, 2022, Chief United States District Judge Stanley A. Bastian sentenced Reymundo Garcia, 59, of Ephrata, Washington, to 135 months of imprisonment, to be followed by a five-year term of court supervision after he is released from federal prison. In 2021, Garcia pleaded guilty to engaging in a conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of pure methamphetamine. As part of his plea agreement, Garcia also agreed to forfeit any interest in his ranch, which he used to facilitate his drug trafficking conduct by providing a location for both drug dealing and active drug use.
According to information disclosed during court proceedings, Garcia was a member of a drug trafficking organization operating out of Moses Lake, Washington, and Grant County. During the course of an investigation by the FBI Safe Streets Task Force in the Tri-Cities, law enforcement officers seized multiple pounds of methamphetamine, several hundred fentanyl laced pills, heroin, and numerous stolen firearms and ammunition. Garcia engaged in this serious drug-dealing conduct after having been convicted in federal court on two prior occasions for drug trafficking and firearms possession. Chief Judge Bastian noted Garcia’s history of drug trafficking and that selling methamphetamine and heroin has been Garcia’s primary way of life. As a result, Chief Judge Bastian imposed what he described as “forced retirement” from this criminal conduct to protect the community from Garcia’s drug dealing and facilitation of drug use.
“Strong partnerships and collaboration between federal, state, and local law enforcement in central and southeastern Washington are protecting our community and ensuring that repeat drug offenders stop distributing poison in our neighborhoods,” said Vanessa R. Waldref, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington. “Today’s sentence takes a serious, recidivist drug trafficker off the streets and sends a clear message to others who might choose to engage in similar activity: we are committed to ensuring a safe and strong Eastern Washington community, and this kind of conduct will be ferreted out, investigated, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
“By using his residence to facilitate drug trafficking and his prior offenses, Mr. Garcia has shown that his criminal activity is part of a long-term lifestyle,” said Donald M. Voiret, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle Field Office. “The FBI commends the work of our investigating and prosecuting partners to protect our neighborhoods for law-abiding citizens and remove these dangerous drugs from our communities.”
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This case was investigated by the FBI Safe Streets Task Force in Tri-Cities, Washington, in cooperation with the police departments of Moses Lake, Kennewick, Richland, and Pasco, and the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Washington Department of Corrections. This case was prosecuted by Stephanie Van Marter and Brian M. Donovan, Assistant United States Attorneys for the Eastern District of Washington.