King County Sheriff’s K-9 officer “Quinn” shows off some of the drugs and cash seized in “Operation Jade”
Enough fentanyl to kill 2 million people is just part of a major drug trafficking bust.
Shoreline Police detectives led “Operation Jade”, named for Sheriff’s K-9 officer who recently died suddenly. Police Chief, Kelly Park, says it involved building a trusting relationship with the suspected trafficker. Park says, “Treating this individual with dignity and respect led them back to his residence.” That’s where Park says they found 290,000 fentanyl pills made to look like oxycodone, nearly 10 lb of fentanyl powder, close to 6 lb of heroin, a pound of cocaine, $52,000 in cash and a stolen handgun. Park says those drugs would have landed in Seattle, Burien, White Center and Shoreline had they not been seized. Chief Park says there’s no way the suspect acted alone just based on the amount of drugs seized, so they are continuing to investigate.
“We’re incredibly proud of our dedicated deputies who, through their relentless efforts and investigation, were able to remove a large amount of narcotics from our community,” said King County Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall. “Every drug removed from our streets is a potential life saved, and this operation showcases our commitment to enhancing safety for all within our neighborhoods.”
The M30 oxycodone marking on the pills is dangerously deceptive, but the pill presses are not illegal, per se. King County Undersheriff, Jesse Anderson tells Northwest Newsradio, “Right now, everything is available on the Internet, right? So, it’s simple. They get on there, search up ‘where do we find this?’, and they’re able to get their hands on it.
The prosecutor’s office tells us the man arrested is a Mexican national, 33 year old Armando Castro Zavala, who spent 2 years in an Arizona prison for a drug trafficking conviction. They say detectives followed Zavala to Portland, watched his activities there, and then made the arrest after he returned to his Seattle apartment.
Zavala faces felonies for possession with intent to distribute and an alien in possession of a firearm. It’s also possible federal prosecutors could take the case.