A Tukwila man with a long criminal history has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for his role in a drug trafficking organization connected to Aryan Family and Omerta prison gangs, according to an announcement by Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Anthony Escoto, 52, received the sentence from Chief U.S. District Judge David G. Estudillo in Tacoma on Monday.
At the sentencing hearing, Judge Estudillo stated, “Controlled substances cause a huge amount of damage… the damage is not just to the individual but also to the community.”
Court records show that Escoto was repeatedly recorded during a wiretap investigation arranging for large quantities of methamphetamine and thousands of fentanyl pills for distribution. Police stopped a car after one such deal; although Escoto’s co-defendant claimed ownership of the drugs found inside, investigators had evidence from wiretaps indicating that Escoto was responsible. A search of Escoto’s home on March 22, 2023, uncovered additional methamphetamine and two firearms—a shotgun and an SKS rifle—which he was barred from possessing due to his status as a felon.
Escoto denies being part of any Aryan prison gang but reportedly has multiple neo-Nazi tattoos and was previously charged with assaulting a prison guard while shouting racial slurs. His adult criminal record spans over thirty years and includes convictions for aggravated assault, identity theft, drug trafficking, assault with a deadly weapon, obstruction of justice, and domestic assault.
On March 22, 2023, law enforcement agencies conducted coordinated raids resulting in two dozen arrests on federal charges. The operation involved ten SWAT teams and more than 350 officers across Washington and Arizona. Authorities seized 177 firearms, over ten kilograms of methamphetamine, eleven kilograms of fentanyl pills along with more than one kilogram of fentanyl powder, three kilograms of heroin, and more than $330,000 in cash from eighteen locations. Earlier stages of the investigation led to seizures including approximately 830,000 fentanyl pills and substantial amounts of other drugs and cash.
Escoto pleaded guilty on April 22, 2025 to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Jesse Bailey—the leader of the trafficking ring—was sentenced earlier this year to seventeen-and-a-half years in prison. Prosecutors sought thirteen years for Escoto’s sentence and wrote: “Escoto’s criminality is a result of his decisions, his attitudes toward criminal activity, and his disrespect for other individual members of society who may be victimized by such behavior. Escoto committed the instant offenses in association with members of the Aryan Family and Omerta prison gangs, and while he denies belonging to either gang, he appears to share their ideology of white supremacy and racial animus.”
Chief Judge Estudillo also ordered five years’ federal supervised release following Escoto’s prison term.
The case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation aimed at dismantling major drug traffickers through collaboration among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
The FBI led this investigation with assistance from agencies including the DEA; Homeland Security Investigations; Washington State Department of Corrections; Tacoma Police Department; Pierce County Sheriff’s Office; Thurston County Narcotics Task Force; Washington State Patrol; Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine; Lewis County Sheriff’s Office; Lakewood Police Department; and U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Assistant United States Attorneys Zach Dillon, Max Shiner, and Jehiel Baer prosecuted the case.
