Spokane, Washington – A Mexican national with connections to the Jalisco Cartel has been sentenced to 19 years in federal prison for trafficking large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine in Eastern Washington. Luis Esquivel-Bolanos, also known as "Colorado," was convicted on April 16, 2025, following a jury trial. United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice imposed the sentence, which includes five years of supervised release.
According to court documents and evidence presented during the trial and sentencing, Esquivel-Bolanos was identified by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in January 2023 as a member of a drug trafficking organization operating in Eastern Washington and extending into central Montana. The organization was responsible for distributing illegal drugs on Tribal land across several reservations. Esquivel-Bolanos operated under co-defendant Erubey Arciga Medrano within Eastern Washington.
The drug trafficking organization used intimidation tactics to control their operations. In one instance, they threatened a confidential informant suspected of being a "snitch" with violence from the Jalisco Cartel. On another occasion, members of the organization were dispatched to threaten an individual accused of stealing methamphetamine.
In April 2023, multiple law enforcement agencies executed federal search warrants in rural Okanogan County near Oroville, Washington. They seized approximately 161,000 fentanyl-laced pills, 80 pounds of methamphetamine, six pounds of heroin, over two pounds of cocaine, and 12 firearms from various locations including a trailer where Esquivel-Bolanos resided.
Acting United States Attorney Stephanie Van Marter stated that this case involved one of the largest drug seizures in rural Washington and emphasized the harm caused by these drugs in tribal communities. She credited collaboration between prosecutors and law enforcement for dismantling the drug network.
BIA-DDE Deputy Associate Director Tom Atkinson highlighted the cooperative efforts among tribal, federal, state, and local agencies to uphold tribal sovereignty through coordinated enforcement actions.
David F. Reames from DEA Seattle Field Division remarked on Esquivel-Bolanos's role in distributing dangerous narcotics while threatening violence to maintain control over his territory.
This case was prosecuted under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program which supports investigations into transnational drug trafficking offenses. The investigation involved several agencies including BIA Division of Drug Enforcement, DEA Seattle Field Division and North Central Washington Narcotics Task Force with assistance from U.S Marshals Service among others.
Assistant United States Attorney Nowles H Heinrich along with former Acting United States Attorney Richard R Barker prosecuted this case alongside Contractor Echo D Fatsis while parallel prosecutions were handled by AUSAs within District Montana resulting convictions against twenty-seven defendants
