Press Release
☷Leader of Large Drug Trafficking Organization Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute Large Quantities of Methamphetamine and Fentanyl in Wenatchee and Moses Lake areas of Eastern Washington
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives ( By Press Release office)
Jan 11,2024
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Hey , check it out! This dude named Edward James Salvador from Wenatchee , Washington got sentenced after admitting to distributing a ton of meth and fentanyl . Judge Mary K . Dimke gave him 300 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release . Turns out Salvador was the big shot in a drug trafficking crew operating between Wenatchee and Moses Lake . The investigators used all kinds of tricks to bust him , like warrants , controlled buys , and interviews with snitches . They even found out he was part of the Sureno gang from California . Salvador was bringing in a crazy amount of fentanyl pills from Bakersfield and selling them in Chelan and Douglas counties . He would also pick up a whole bunch of meth from his supplier in California every month . But get this - he was also trying to set up a meth lab in Moses Lake with other big - time drug dealers . They were even talking about how they weren ' t making enough money and needed to up their game . Long story short , Salvador got caught with a bunch of ephedrine , which is used to make meth , and they found out he was planning to cook up a storm in Moses Lake . The guys who owned the property agreed to let them do it in exchange for a cut of the drugs . During the trial , the judge mentioned that Salvador had a tough upbringing and had a period of being clean before he got back into the criminal life in a big way . "Judge Dimke stated that Salvador exercised organization and control over an entire area and did so in a manner and with such a level of violence that an entire community was in fear . " Salvador spread a staggering amount of illegal drugs into our communities , including distributing up to 20 , 000 fentanyl pills every few weeks to his network of drug traffickers . “Mr . Salvador also attempted to establish a large - scale methamphetamine manufacturing operation in the Moses Lake area , ” said U . S . Attorney Waldref . “My office is committed to shutting down dangerous drug trafficking organizations that pump poison into our communities and neighborhoods . I am grateful to all of our federal , state and local partners , as well as federal prosecutors , who worked seamlessly together to bring an end to Mr . Salvador ' s operation . " "The scourge of drugs has touched every corner of this nation and us . " We “We are proud to have worked with our regional partners to put an end to Mr . Salvador’s illegal operations , ” said Robert Hammer , Special Agent in Charge ( SAC ) , who oversees HSI operations in the Pacific Northwest . “HSI will use every resource at its disposal to eliminate the economies of scale created by these operations and remove these deadly drugs from our communities . ” “Mr . “Salvator has done everything in his power to expand his drug trafficking network in central Washington , ” said ATF Seattle Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Blais . “We will always work to identify those who cause serious harm to our communities . This sentence sends a strong message that these actions will not be tolerated by the ATF and our law enforcement partners . " This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations , the Columbia River Drug Task Force , consisting of the Chelan County Sheriff , the Douglas County Sheriff , examined . East Wenatchee Police Department and the Wenatchee Police Department . The Bureau of Alcohol , Tobacco , Firearms and Explosives , Moses Lake Police Department and the Grant County Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team also assisted in the investigation . This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Caitlin Baunsgard . 23 - CR - 046 - MKD .
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