Federal Way resident Cuong T. Le, 57, is one of 23 suspects federal prosecutors indicted Tuesday afternoon for being connected to a drug trafficking organization.
Federal, state and local law enforcement partners made 18 arrests and searched more than a dozen locations in connection with a two-year investigation into the organization, which distributed cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine across Puget Sound, according to Annette L. Hayes, acting U.S. Attorney.
“These defendants preyed on our community by supplying drugs in neighborhoods across Seattle, and demonstrated a willingness to use violence where it served their purposes,” Hayes said. “Their criminal activities included hiding weapons and using violence in homeless encampments located along Interstate-5.”
According to court records, law enforcement officials began tapping telephones and using confidential sources to infiltrate the drug organization in February 2013.
The investigation determined that the organization distributed approximately 15-20 kilograms of cocaine, 10-15 kilograms of heroin and 5 kilograms of methamphetamine per month.
On multiple occasions, drug trafficking suspects were arrested with firearms.
In one instance, a conspirator was arrested with a stolen firearm as he was leaving the “Jungle” homeless encampment, federal prosecutors allege. During the investigation, detectives seized drugs and cash including a September 2014 seizure of two kilograms of cocaine, one pound of methamphetamine and $14,000 cash from a rental car.
In March 2015, investigators seized more than $32,000 from a hidden compartment in another vehicle.
The organization sold drugs in Seattle, Renton, Shoreline and Kent.
The drug transactions occurred in areas ranging from the parking lot of Viet Wah supermarket near South Jackson Street, the parking lot of Dick’s Drive-In on Northeast 45th Street, the parking lot of a gas station on Beacon Hill and at a motel in Tukwila.
“Law enforcement partnerships made today’s operation a success,” said Special Agent in Charge Frank Montoya, Jr., of the FBI’s Seattle division. “Working together in task forces, we tracked these defendants on both sides of Lake Washington, up and down Interstate 5 and even to other states. Our joint resources enabled us to identify key elements of the organization and effectively shut it down.”
The investigation was led by the FBI’s Seattle Safe Streets Task Force and the Bellevue Police Department’s Eastside Narcotics Task Force.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, King County Sheriff’s Office, the Washington State Department of Corrections and the Kent and Tukwila police departments, and the Seattle Fire Department also assisted in the investigation.
In addition to the Federal Way man, other suspects arrested on the drug trafficking charges include:
Son V. Tran, 28, of Seattle
Niem H. Doan, aka “Linh,” 36, of Everett
Huy V. Tran, 39, of Seattle
Patrick Wong, aka “Minh” 48, of Seattle
Son T. Nguyen, aka “Nine Fingers” aka “Kim,” 42, of Seattle
Tam C. Nguyen, aka “Andy,” 39, of Tukwila
Brieanna K. Carlson, 27, of Seattle
Yen T. Vu, 54, of Seattle
Phuong A. Nguyen, aka “P,” 42, of Kent
Vinh Q. Nguyen, 29, of Seattle
Giang T. Ngo, aka “Uncle Jack,” 51, of Burien
Phuong H. Nguyen, aka “LJ,” 30, of Kent
Kenneth W. Thomas, 55, of SeaTac
Donald K. Jordan, aka “Looney,” 34, of Seattle
Donald C. Scholoff, 47, of Edmonds
Steven J. Connell, 47, of Seattle
Kimberle S. Alojasin, aka “Nguyen,” 56, of South King County
