RENTON, Wash. — This story was originally posted to MyNorthwest.com
A Mexican citizen with a prior drug trafficking conviction has been sentenced to an additional five years in federal prison after being caught with 13 kilograms of cocaine while attempting to evade a previous sentence, U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller announced Wednesday via a news release.
Humberto Lopez Rodriguez, 31, formerly of Renton, had been sentenced to five years in prison for drug trafficking but failed to report to the Federal Correctional Institution in Lompoc, California.
In December 2023, while attempting to travel from California to Washington, Lopez Rodriguez was arrested with a loaded firearm and a large quantity of cocaine in his vehicle.
“This defendant continued to deal drugs while on pretrial release and later was arrested in a car with a drug load when he should have been serving his federal sentence,” Acting U.S. Attorney Miller stated in the release. “Such conduct, ignoring our laws and criminal justice system, appropriately results in additional prison time.”
Fugitive trafficker caught with cocaine, sentenced in cartel probe
The arrest was part of a broader investigation targeting a drug trafficking network with connections to Mexico and Colombia. The operation spanned several months and involved multiple law enforcement agencies. By June 2024, the investigation had led to 24 search and arrest warrants. At that point, Lopez Rodriguez was already in custody following his arrest in December.
Law enforcement seized narcotics and weapons during the investigation, including 84,000 fentanyl pills, over one kilogram of fentanyl powder, 32 kilograms of cocaine, 15 kilograms of methamphetamine, and nearly three kilograms of heroin. In addition to the drugs, agents recovered 18 firearms and approximately $71,000 in suspected drug proceeds.
Five of the sixteen individuals charged in the case have already pleaded guilty. Among them is Ramon Duarte Garcia, 38, a Mexican citizen living in Kent, who was sentenced in May 2025 to 10 years in prison.
A judge sentenced Curtis McDaniel, 56, a U.S. citizen from Tukwila, to five years in prison. Jose Luis Villafañe Osorio, 36, a Colombian citizen living in Plainfield, New Jersey, pleaded guilty and will face sentencing on August 13, 2025. Manuel Garcia Hernandez, 39, a Mexican citizen from Renton, is scheduled to be sentenced on September 9, 2025.
This investigation is part of Operation Take Back America, a federal initiative aimed at dismantling cartels, combating illegal immigration tied to organized crime, and reducing violent crime across the country.
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