Seventeen people have been arrested and more than 50 pounds of methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin was seized during a series of raids in the Seattle-area that targeted an international drug-trafficking ring, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The arrests culminate an 18-month investigation involving court-authorized wire-taps and the surveillance of members of the ring that authorities say have ties to California and Mexico. Some of the defendants made their initial appearances Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Seattle, where all pleaded not guilty.
In raids launched Wednesday, law enforcement officers served search warrants on 17 homes, three storage facilities and more than a dozen vehicles in Seattle, Everett, Auburn, Bellevue, SeaTac, Tukwila, Renton, Kent and Port Orchard, the U.