YAKIMA – In a sweeping law enforcement operation, United States Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref announced the arrest of twenty-eight individuals linked to the violent prison gang La Nuestra Familia. The arrests come after six separate indictments were returned, levying more than two dozen charges against thirty-four defendants, with some still at large.
The indictments and subsequent arrests are part of a long-term investigation spearheaded by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), targeting the gang’s activities which include drug trafficking and violent crimes even from within the confines of the United States Penitentiary, Administrative Maximum Facility in Florence, Colorado (USP Florence ADMAX).
The operation, which began around 2018, spanned multiple jurisdictions including various locations in Washington State—Yakima County, the Yakama Reservation, Spokane County, Walla Walla County—and extended into Louisiana, Colorado, and Arkansas. This coordinated effort involved more than 350 law enforcement officers from federal, state, local, and tribal agencies, who executed over twenty search warrants across the country.
United States Attorney Waldref praised the collaborative effort, stating, “It is an honor to lead important prosecutions, such as this one, which has removed illegal drugs and firearms from our community and illegal narcotics from the Bureau of Prisons. Our community and our nation are safer and stronger as a result of the incredible work of our law enforcement and prosecution teams.”
Among the indicted, Robert Patrick Hanrahan, Rigoberto Escobedo Gonzalez, Travis Michael McGuire, and Jose Alfredo Chavez Arredondo are alleged to have acted as supervisors in a continuing criminal enterprise that spanned illegal drug distribution, cockfighting, and the possession of illegal firearms.
During the raids, law enforcement seized 37 firearms, thousands of rounds of ammunition, substantial quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine, and over 8,000 fentanyl-laced pills. More than $20,000 in cash and hundreds of roosters, allegedly used in cockfighting, were also confiscated.
The conspiracy indictment, unsealed earlier today, revealed names such as Fabian Arredondo, Joanna Arredondo, and Alexa Joann Carras-Blackburn, charged with various offenses ranging from conspiracy to distribute controlled substances to money laundering.
The operation marks a significant blow to organized crime and highlights the ongoing challenges in curbing criminal activities that span across state lines and infiltrate even the most secure facilities. Further charges are anticipated as investigations continue following today’s arrests. Arraignments for certain individuals are scheduled for this Friday at the Yakima and Spokane Federal Courthouses.
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