Pasco cartel member sentenced to 26 years
By Terry Murry on Friday, April 23rd, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
SPOKANE – A Pasco man identified by the U.S. Department of Justice as the leader and organizer of a Sinaloa Cartel cell in Eastern Washington has been sentenced to 26 years in federal prison. The sentence handed down Wednesday comes after Reynaldo Perez Munoz, 41, entered guilty pleas to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of pure methamphetamine, five kilograms or more of cocaine, and one kilogram or more of heroin.
Munoz also pled guilty to two counts of money laundering and possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or m ore of fentanyl. His guilty pleas were entered in August 2020.
Court records indicate that the Federal Bureau of Investigation task force in Southern California identified Munoz and others as members of a drug trafficking operation. The FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force in the Tri-Cities area executed several search warrants as a result of the California investigation.
During those search warrants, agents seized more than 19,000 fentanyl-laced pills, 40 pounds of heroin, four pounds of meth, 23 pounds of cocaine, and $170,000 in cash. It is estimated that in less than one month, the drug trafficking organization was able to hand deliver more than $1.25 million in drug cash proceeds.
During the court proceedings it was disclosed that FBI cryptoanalysts studied drug ledgers seized form Munoz. It was determined they reflected an additional $6 million collected in drug cash proceeds and several hundred kilograms of controlled substances. In addition to the FBI, regional law enforcement helping with the case included the Kennewick Police Department, Richland Police Department, Pasco Police Department, and the Benton County Sheriff’s Office.
