A citizen of Mexico was sentenced to prison Monday for trafficking a large amount of fentanyl and methamphetamine, according to the Department of Justice.
Erick Guerrero-Acosta, 36, was sentenced to ten years in prison by the U.S. District Court in Tacoma.
Guerrero-Acosta was arrested Nov. 22, 2022, with nearly 30 pounds of fentanyl in pill and powder form, 15 pounds of methamphetamine, more than $25,000 in cash, and a gun in his car.
“At the very time Mr. Guerrero-Acosta was bringing fentanyl pills to Western Washington, more than one person each day was dying of a fentanyl overdose in King County alone,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. “Between January 1, 2022, and October 15, 2022, 70% of 710 overdose deaths were attributable to fentanyl. Based on these percentages, pills just like the ones seized from Guerrero-Acosta killed approximately 490 people, leaving only heartache for families and loved ones.”
Once undercover agents bought drugs from Guerrero-Acosta, agents moved in to arrest him.
According to the Department of Justice, Guerrero-Acosta had prior convictions for drug trafficking in Arizona in 2007 and 2011. He was also convicted of illegally returning to the U.S. after his deportation.