Drug bust led to Vancouver ‘stash house’ with fentanyl, meth, and grenade and AK-47; Washington Police Say
Vancouver, WA: During an investigation into suspected drug dealers, a Washington “stash house” was searched and found to contain several illicit substances, including thousands of fentanyl pills, dozens of pounds of methamphetamine, and an AK-47 weapon with a grenade launcher.
Following a warrant search of the residence, Flores “El Cholo” Carrillo, 48, and Valenzuela Ayala, 23, were both arrested and charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled narcotics, according to the Department of Justice. On Friday, both individuals appeared in a Tacoma federal judge.
The arrests were made after a year-long undercover operation in Vancouver that involved many law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, and the Vancouver Police Department. Early last year, authorities in southwest Washington suspected Carrillo of being a big distributor of fentanyl pills.
Cooperating with confidential informants, law enforcement allegedly purchased large quantities of drugs from Carillo. One instance involved an informant purchasing 3,000 fentanyl pills and two separate occurrences involving a kilogram of crystal meth. Additionally, Carillo was involved in the sale of high-powered firearms on two separate occasions.
Carillo was apprehended not long after he reportedly sold 10,000 fentanyl tablets in another batch earlier this month. Following this, authorities searched Carillo’s purported stash house and discovered a considerable amount of drugs, including seven pounds of fentanyl pills and 43 pounds of meth. Additionally, the AK-47 equipped with a grenade launcher was found “wrapped as if for resale,” according to officials.
Ayala, who was the only person in the stash home, was apprehended during this raid. Mexican authorities have stated that the two individuals in question do not possess the requisite legal status to be present in the United States. If convicted guilty of the federal conspiracy charges, they may face a term ranging from 10 years to life in prison.
