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September 25, 2014Seattle, United StatesNarcotics

Drug ringleader with cartel ties sentenced to 27 years in prison

SEATTLE — An Everett man who, along with his brother, oversaw a drug and weapons trafficking ring with ties to a violent Mexican cartel was sentenced Friday to 27 years in federal prison.

Cristian Berrelleza-Verduzco, 31, pleaded guilty in April 2013 to multiple conspiracy counts related to distribution of controlled substances, money laundering, robbery and possession of firearms. His operation was brought down in 2012 by an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation dubbed “Operation Black ICE” led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Snohomish Police Department.

According to court records, the ring smuggled methamphetamine and heroin from Mexico to the U.S. and made efforts to smuggle guns back to Mexico. Berrelleza-Verduzco and his brother, Victor, were the leaders of a ring that prosecutors say was tied to the violent Beltran-Leyva Mexican drug cartel. The brothers and their father were captured on court authorized wire-taps discussing their meetings with Beltran-Leyva cartel leaders.

“From his base in an unassuming Snohomish County neighborhood, Berrelleza-Verduzco ran a multimillion dollar heroin and meth trafficking operation that took multiple federal, state and local agencies in three states to dismantle.” said Brad Bench, special agent in charge of HSI Seattle. “He fed the destructive habit of Washington addicts and fueled Mexican cartel violence with drug money. Considering the massive increase in local teens dying of heroin overdoses in recent years, the incarceration of Berrelleza-Verduzco and his co-conspirators is a significant victory for public safety.”

Timely intervention by law enforcement stopped one home invasion robbery. Court documents say the Berrelleza-Verduzco organization was involved not only in gun and drug trafficking, but in efforts to use violence to collect drug debts or rip-off rival drug trafficking organizations.

“This sentence helps protect us from a very dangerous man and organization. This defendant raked in massive profits from the scourge of heroin addiction. He and his family sought to control the entire supply chain, from growing the poppies, to manufacturing the heroin, to selling it in this District,” said U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan. “And just as they moved their drugs north, they wanted to move high-powered weapons back to Mexico to cause further cartel related violence.”

Operation Black ICE resulted in 34 indictments, and the seizure of more than 20 pounds of heroin, more than 30 pounds of methamphetamine, nearly $200,000 and 31 firearms – including 10 assault weapons. Most defendants have been sentenced, some to prison terms in excess of 10 years. Last year, Victor Berrelleza-Verduzco was sentenced to 20 years in prison, and his brother Ivan Berrelleza-Verduzco was sentenced to seven years in prison.

The investigation was assisted by OCDETF member agencies, including the Seattle, Lake Stevens, Everett, Monroe and Marysville police departments; the Eastside Narcotics Task Force; the Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force; the Skagit County Inter-local Drug Enforcement Unit; the Snohomish County Sheriff's Department; the Washington State Patrol; and U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Offices of Field Operations and Border Patrol. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington.

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