The leader of a drug trafficking ring that brought drugs to western Washington was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 130 months in prison, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd announced in a news release on Tuesday.
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 more than a dozen people that were indicted and arrested in May 2024.
“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,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd said in the news release from the Department of Justice. “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.”
The investigation began in December 2022 when the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the FBI identified Duran Aldaco 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 drug-trafficking organization (DTO), the release stated.
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 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.
During a 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 3 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 case was investigated by the DEA, FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Seattle Police Department, Oregon State Police, Portland Police Department, California Highway Patrol, the Los Angeles Strike Force, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Centralia Police Department.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Casey Conzatti and Elyne Vaught.
