A Washington man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in a cartel-connected drug distribution ring.

Benjamin Fuentes, 31, of Renton, Wash., was indicted in July 2020 alongside more than a dozen co-conspirators as a result of an extensive wire-tap investigation, according to a Nov. 23 U.S. Department of Justice news release. He was tied to the CJNG cartel in Mexico and served as a drug distributor and debt collector for the drug-trafficking group.

“This defendant was immersed in the violence of this drug trafficking ring – at one point firing a gun into the air and threatening to kill everyone inside a residence as part of his debt collection threats," U.S. Attorney Nick Brown said in the release. “He and his coconspirators distributed massive amounts of methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine and potentially deadly fentanyl pills in King, Pierce, Lewis and Snohomish counties. This sentence removes him from the community he damaged with his violent drug trade.”

A Washington man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in a cartel-connected drug distribution ring. | Umanoide/Unsplash

When the leaders of the drug trafficking organization were unable to understand their English-speaking accomplices, Fuentes reportedly acted as a translator for them, the release reported. Investigators repeatedly overheard Fuentes talking about both drug distribution and getting guns for the organization's violent debt collection during the wiretap.

Methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine and fentanyl tablets were discovered in a home Fuentes shared with a commander of the drug trafficking operation when authorities closed in on the narcotics network, the release said. Four guns, bulletproof vests and $28,000 in cash were also found.

Fuentes was also sentenced to four years of supervised release following his prison term, as ordered by U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour, according to the release.