A California woman who federal prosecutors say helped lead a nationwide drug trafficking ring and plotted to kill a Centralia police officer after a major drug seizure was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison.
Iris Adrianna Amador-Garcia, 35, of Bellflower, California, was sentenced Tuesday in Seattle federal court for her role in a sprawling drug operation that distributed methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin, and other narcotics across the United States and internationally, according to the US Attorney’s Office.
Federal prosecutors said Amador-Garcia and her associates openly discussed locating and killing a Centralia police officer after a traffic stop led to the seizure of a large shipment of drugs.
“Threats against law enforcement is a line in the sand that is completely unacceptable,” US District Judge John Coughenour said during sentencing.
According to prosecutors, Amador-Garcia served as a co-leader of the drug trafficking organization alongside Jose Alfredo Maldonado-Ramirez.
Authorities said the organization sourced much of its supply from Amador-Garcia’s family in Mexico and distributed drugs throughout Washington as well as New York, Massachusetts, Florida, Tennessee, Virginia, Arkansas, Illinois, Ohio, and even Fiji.
Massive Drug Seizures
Investigators began identifying the leaders of the organization as early as February 2020.
Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement seized multiple large drug shipments tied to the organization.
Authorities seized 9 pounds of methamphetamine during a traffic stop in May 2020, another 30 pounds in April 2021, and 57 pounds of methamphetamine along with 20,000 fentanyl pills during a September 2021 traffic stop, prosecutors said.
Investigators also intercepted 19 pounds of methamphetamine that conspirators allegedly attempted to mail to Fiji in August 2021.
During a search of a residence where Amador-Garcia was living with her brother and two co-conspirators, agents recovered a kilogram of fentanyl, 80,000 fentanyl pills, and two firearms.
Eight additional firearms were seized at other locations in Washington and California.
Nationwide Reach
In seeking a 15-year sentence, prosecutors described the organization as unusually large and far-reaching.
“The nation-wide reach of this Drug Trafficking Organization sets it apart from most organizations prosecuted in this District,” prosecutors wrote in court filings.
The organization allegedly distributed drugs across multiple regions of the country while expanding operations internationally.
“This criminal organization was well-organized, well-sourced, and well-connected,” First Assistant US Attorney Charles Neil Floyd said in a statement.
“This defendant was prepared to take drastic measures to protect what she had built. She and her criminal associates were intercepted openly discussing killing an officer after a large shipment of drugs was seized.”
Drug Enforcement Administration Seattle Special Agent in Charge Robert Saccone said the case highlights the dangers posed by large-scale fentanyl trafficking organizations.
“This sentence sends a clear message that those who traffic fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other deadly drugs into our communities, and those who threaten violence against law enforcement, will be held accountable,” Saccone said.
The investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
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