RICHLAND, Wash. – A California man was sentenced to nine years in federal prison after pleading guilty to Possession with the Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Actual (Pure) Methamphetamine, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington.
A press release says that U.S. Attorney Vanessa Waldref announced that Michael Lopez Ferrel, 30, of Salinas, CA was sentenced on Wed., Feb. 7.
Court documents say that Ferrel supplied a large amount of drugs to distributors in Eastern Washington. A confidential informant set up a meeting to purchase as much as 20 pounds of crystal meth and 500 pills laced with fentanyl.
A call between the informant and Ferrel was recorded in March 2022 with Ferrel claiming that he traveled from Mexico to Yakima weekly to deliver between 180 and 220 pounds of meth.
The two met in person on the same day of the call where Ferrel offered to provide 20 pounds of meth to the informant along with pills containing fentanyl.
On March 10, 2022, arrangements were made for Ferrel to sell 10 pounds of meth to the informant. Surveillance units were set up at Ferrel’s home and a meeting spot.
The press release says Ferrel traveled to another location to grab the drugs, put the drugs in the trunk of his car and went to meet the informant. The drugs were given to the informant at the meeting spot.
The next day, the two met in Prosser for payment for the drugs. When Ferrel arrived, investigators took him into custody.
A search warrant found more than 10 pounds of meth, a digital scale, a loaded pistol and $32,000 in cash.
“Mr. Ferrel was part of a transnational drug trafficking scheme and was responsible for transporting massive amounts of illegal narcotics into the Eastern Washington and distributing those drugs into our communities,” said Waldref. “I commend law enforcement for identifying Mr. Ferrel’s drug trafficking activities and preventing him from further distributing this poison in our neighborhoods. As a result of these efforts, Eastern Washington is safer and stronger.”
According to the press release, the case was investigated by DEA Tri-Cities and assisted by the Tri-Cities Metro Drug Task Force, Tri-Cities FBI, U.S. Border Control and Tri-Cities Regional SWAT.
