Three Men Facing Federal Charges in Connection to Seizure of Methamphetamine and Thousands of Fentanyl Pills

Spokane, Washington- Vanessa R. Waldref, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced today that three men are facing federal drug charges. Osvaldo Guadalupe Soto-Orduno, Jose Roman Lizarraga Gerardo, and Jose Efrain Gonzalez Rodriguez were charged by criminal complaint with Conspiracy to Distribute 400 Grams or More of a Mixture Containing Fentanyl and 500 Grams or More of a Mixture Containing Methamphetamine. 

According to the complaint, on June 26, 2024, DEA investigators identified a Toyota Corolla, believed to be used to transport drugs, travel to a house in Spokane. Investigators observed Lizarraga and Soto get out of the Toyota and enter the home. Soto was then allegedly observed carrying a black bag into the house. A short time later, investigators observed Lizarraga and Soto exit the house with the bag and leave in the Toyota. 

Law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop of the Toyota. According to the complaint, Soto consented to a search of the vehicle. During the search, investigators located several large bundles of U.S. currency packaged in a manner which officers recognized as consistent with large scale drug trafficking. 

The complaint further alleges that investigators later observed Gonzalez-Rodriguez and another man exit the residence carrying a black backpack and depart in an Acura sedan. A vehicle stop was conducted on the Acura. According to the complaint, investigators conducted a search of the Acura and located approximately 7,000 pills presumed to be fentanyl as well as two pounds of presumed methamphetamine inside the vehicle. 

According to the complaint, investigators conducted a search of the residence and located 61,000 pills believed to be fentanyl, more than three pounds of methamphetamine, more than a pound of cocaine, a small quantity of heroin, and four firearms. 

“The fentanyl epidemic is taking lives at an unprecedented pace,” stated U.S. Attorney Vanessa Waldref.  “My office is committed to working with our with our law enforcement partners to remove large quantities of deadly drugs from the streets and to disrupt drug networks.” 

This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Spokane Regional Anti-Violence Enforcement and Narcotics (RAVEN) task force and the United States Border Patrol. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy J. Ohms. 

A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.