RICHLAND, Wash. – A California man was sentenced after he pled guilty to possession with the intent to distribute a large amount of drugs in eastern Washington.
Lopez Ferrel, 30, of Salinas, was supplying distributors in eastern Washington with a large amount of drugs, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington. In Feb. 2022, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) learned this information, using a confidential informant to set up a meeting to buy 20 pounds of crystal methamphetamine and 500 fentanyl-laced pills.
During a call with the informant in March 2022, Ferrel claimed he was traveling from Mexico to Yakima every week with 180 to 220 pounds of methamphetamine.
That day, the attorney’s office said Ferrel met the informant in person, where he offered to provide 20 pounds of methamphetamine as well as pills that contained deadly amounts of fentanyl. Ferrel told the informant that he had direct access to a source in Mexico and people in Mexicali and Tijuana to help move the load.
On March 10, 2022, Ferrel made arrangements to sell the informant 10 pounds of methamphetamine.
Surveillance units were set up at Ferrel’s residence, along with where he would meet the informant. Agents followed Ferrel as he traveled from his home to another location used as a drug stash house. Agents saw Ferrel put drugs into the trunk of the car and then continued to follow him to the meeting location.
When Ferrel arrived, he got into the informant’s vehicle and gave them 10 pounds of methamphetamine.
The next day, Ferrel arranged to meet the informant in Prosser to collect his payment. When Ferrel arrived at the location, investigators took him into custody.
A search warrant was obtained for the at the stash house of Ferrel’s organization. Agents found more than 10 pounds of methamphetamine, a digital scale, a loaded gun and $32,000.
Ferrel was sentenced to nine years in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
“Mr. Ferrel was part of a transnational drug trafficking scheme and was responsible for transporting massive amounts of illegal narcotics into the Eastern Washington and distributing those drugs into our communities,” stated U.S. Attorney Waldref. “I commend law enforcement for identifying Mr. Ferrel’s drug trafficking activities and preventing him from further distributing this poison in our neighborhoods. As a result of these efforts, Eastern Washington is safer and stronger.”
