Leader of massive drug trafficking ring sentenced to more than 10 years in prison (DOJ)

Seattle - The young leader of a drug trafficking ring that persisted in bringing large loads of drugs to western Washington despite multiple law enforcement seizures, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 130 months in prison, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Hector Duran Aldaco, 25, of Federal Way, pleaded guilty in February 2026 to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, and using a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime. Duran Aldaco was the leader of the conspiracy of more than a dozen people that were indicted and arrested in May 2024.

At today's sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Kymberly K. Evanson said. "This was a staggering quantity of controlled substances."

"This defendant is responsible for attempting to flood our community with 85 kilograms of methamphetamine, 30 kilograms of fentanyl and 2.5 kilograms of cocaine," said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. "Despite repeated law enforcement seizures, he didn't stop, switching from rental cars to intercity bus lines to try to get his drugs to Washington. That conduct plus his possession of high-power firearms results in this lengthy sentence which is warranted."

"Hector Duran Aldaco sat at the helm of a transnational drug trafficking organization conspiring to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and alprazolam throughout Western Washington," said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Seattle. "Today's sentencing serves as a reminder to those who might be tempted to follow in Mr. Duran Aldaco's footsteps: there are serious consequences to fueling addiction and causing harm in our local communities. The FBI and our partners remain committed to removing highly dangerous and addictive drugs, and those who push them, from our streets to make our home a safer place."

"This sentence sends a clear message that those who traffic fentanyl and arm themselves with firearms to protect their criminal enterprise will be held accountable," said Robert. A. Saccone, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division. "Hector Duran Aldaco and his co-conspirators flooded Western Washington with deadly fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine while endangering our communities with an arsenal of firearms. Through Fentanyl Free America, DEA is working relentlessly to disrupt the criminal organizations responsible for trafficking synthetic opioids, reduce their availability, and protect American lives. DEA and our partners will continue pursuing those who profit from addiction and violence until they are brought to justice and our communities are safer."

The investigation began in December 2022, when the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the FBI identified Duran Aldaco (aka Jay Thrax) as a large-scale fentanyl distributor. During the investigation, through physical and electronic surveillance, travel records, and a variety of other investigative techniques, agents were able to determine that Duran Aldaco was being supplied by a Mexico-based DTO. Agents determined that Duran Aldaco coordinated the transport of narcotics from the Los Angeles area to the Seattle area where he then worked with his charged and uncharged co-conspirators to redistribute the substances. The DTO would often utilize rental cars to transport the drugs but also used buses after several traffic stops resulted in seizures of large amounts of narcotics. During this investigation, there were a number of seizures from individuals associated with Duran Aldaco's DTO in California, Oregon, and Washington.

In April 2023, the California Highway Patrol seized 47 kilos of methamphetamine and 115,000 fentanyl pills during a traffic stop; in June 2023, the Oregon State patrol seized 28 pounds of methamphetamine in a traffic stop; and in November 2023, the Oregon State Patrol seized 15 kilograms of meth and 30 kilograms of fentanyl pills again in a traffic stop. The seizures continued into 2024, including in April when Portland Police recovered 7.5 kilograms of fentanyl pills that had been abandoned at the bus station by one of Duran Aldaco's associates.

During the wiretap, investigators also heard Duran Aldaco discuss obtaining and trading firearms for drugs. When his residence and storage unit were searched in May 2024, investigators recovered three firearms as well as ammunition and body armor. They also seized more than $14,000 in cash and jewelry. In Duran Aldaco's storage unit, investigators found over three kilograms of methamphetamine, 200 grams of cocaine, and over 10 kilograms of marijuana. Additionally, it appeared as if the storage unit was set up to support a marijuana grow operation.

This investigation is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Seattle comprises agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), The United States Marshals Service (USMS), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI), the United States Secret Service (USSS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Washington.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), Seattle Police Department, Oregon State Police, Portland Police Department, California Highway Patrol, the Los Angeles Strike Force, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and Centralia Police Department.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Casey Conzatti and Elyne Vaught.