Vancouver man sentenced to 10 years after police seize drugs, grenade launcher, and more

TACOMA, Wash. (KATU) — A stash house in Vancouver, Wash. contained seven pounds of fentanyl, 43 pounds of methamphetamine, an assault rifle and grenade launcher.

A 49-year-old Vancouver resident was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 10 years in prison for drug and gun trafficking.

Juan Onofre Flores Carrillo, 49, and his co-defendant Jesus Daniel Valenzuela Ayala, 24, were arrested in March of last year when police raided their stash house and seized more than seven pounds of fentanyl, 43 pounds of methamphetamine and an assault rifle equipped with a grenade launcher.

At the sentencing hearing, Chief U.S. District Judge David G. Estudillo said, “These controlled substances create significant problems for the community. There are individuals who overdose and die from these substances and those who don’t become addicted and become a drain on everyone.”

According to the criminal complaint, Flores Carrillo, also known as “El Cholo,” was identified in early 2023 as a "significant" fentanyl pill dealer in southwest Washington.

For over a year, working with confidential informants, police and other authorities made a series of significant drug buys from Flores Carrillo.

In one case, he sold an informant 3,000 fentanyl pills. On another occasion, he sold the informant a kilogram of crystal methamphetamine.

READ ALSO: Teen critically injured in early morning north Portland shooting

Flores Carrillo sold the informant high-powered firearms twice, including a ghost AR-type rifle, meaning it has no serial numbers to track, and a Norinco Mak-90 rifle.

In Jan. and Feb. of 2024, authorities worked to identify the house where Flores Carrillo kept his drugs. He continued to make drug sales of heroin as well as fentanyl.

On March 13, 2024, Flores Carrillo agreed to sell 10,000 fentanyl pills, and was arrested shortly after.

Eight months later, Flores Carrillo pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and use of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.

Prosecutors wrote to the court to ask for a 10-year sentence, “Firearms are a tool of the drug trade, and the danger of drug trafficking comes not only from the effect of drugs on users but from the violence associated with drug trafficking."

"The firearms that Flores Carrillo possessed and sold toa person he believed to be a drug trafficker, are highly dangerous and not intended to be in the hands of drug users or drug traffickers," the statement continued.

In imposing sentence, Judge Estudillo commented, “If there’s firearms involved [in drug trafficking], violence could occur among drug dealers and innocent people could get hurt."

Co-defendant Valenzuela Ayala was the only resident of the stash house, and was arrested.

Both men are citizens of Mexico, and will likely be deported after serving their prison terms. He was sentenced to seven years in prison.

The case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Vancouver Police Department, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigation Unit, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI).