Seattle, WA. — A 22-year-old Tacoma man was sentenced today to 66 months in federal prison for his role in a large-scale drug trafficking conspiracy that distributed fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine across the Pacific Northwest.
Rogelio Pena was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kymberly K. Evanson, who noted the seriousness of the crimes and their impact on the community. “This was a lot of drugs and a large conspiracy,” Judge Evanson said. “The impact on the community is significant.”
Pena was one of thirteen defendants indicted in May 2024 following an 18-month wiretap investigation that revealed a sophisticated drug trafficking organization operating throughout Washington and neighboring states. Prosecutors said Pena was a trusted member of the conspiracy, responsible for delivering drugs and maintaining access to the group’s stash house, including possession of keys to storage locations.
According to investigators, Pena continued trafficking drugs even after a June 28, 2023 traffic stop in which he was a passenger in a vehicle carrying more than 25 pounds of methamphetamine. Despite that encounter, wiretap evidence showed Pena later arranging the delivery of approximately 20,000 fentanyl pills.
Overall, law enforcement seized approximately 81 kilograms of methamphetamine, 49 kilograms of fentanyl pills, and 15 kilograms of cocaine during the investigation. Authorities said the fentanyl seized alone contained enough lethal doses to kill more than 200,000 people in Western Washington.
As increased law enforcement pressure disrupted vehicle transport, conspirators began using buses to move drugs north. On April 11, 2024, Portland police seized 7.5 kilograms of fentanyl-laced pills abandoned at a bus station by a co-conspirator. Arrests followed in early May.
In court filings, prosecutors highlighted the broader toll of the trafficking operation, noting that during 2023 — when Pena was actively involved — King County recorded 1,340 fatal overdose deaths.
The case was investigated by a multi-agency task force including the Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, ATF, Seattle Police Department, Oregon State Police, Portland Police Bureau, California Highway Patrol, and other federal, state, and local agencies. The prosecution was led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington.
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I see over 1,300 over dose related deaths in King County claimed. Well, has been much more than that throughout Pacific Northwest and beyond I’m sure! My Grandkids Daddy was killed from cocaine laced with Fentanyl in Mason County May 2025 8 months ago! I’m thankful for progress in getting some stopped and destroyed I hope, and I pray 🙏✝️ Christ Jesus gets surrendered to by each of the convicted guilty ones and the victims of addiction and the bad choices so many been choosing before anymore unnecessary deaths! This is terrible what sin self-centered people and evil spirits are doing!