Meth, Fentanyl, Guns Recovered and 8 Arrested in Moses Lake

The U.S. Attorney's Office said  illegal drugs and nearly three dozen firearms were recovered during the arrests of eight individuals in the Moses Lake, WA area on Tuesday.

United State Attorney Vanessa Waldref, said the suspects are under arrest on federal drug trafficking and violent offenses.

According to a news release, the multi-jurisdiction case involved agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), United States Marshals Service, Moses Lake Police Department (MLPD), Border Patrol, and the Washington Department of Corrections.

Waldref said four individuals, identified as Solomon Valle-Chavarria, Pedro Valley-Chavarria, Jose Mauricio Rodriguez-Sanchez and Paulino Portillo-Orozco  were arrested on a 7-count indictment involving methamphetamine distribution  and unlawful possession of a firearm.  The weapons charge is linked to a firearm involved in a 2023 murder case.

Waldref said Troy S. McClanahan was arrested after a search warrant was served at his home on Tuesday where the distribution of drugs was suspected. ATF and MLPD officers found approximately 35 guns.  The cache included assault rifles, short-barreled shotguns and rifles, high-capacity clips, silencers and more than 1 pound of methamphetamine.

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Other arrests on Tuesday included Rebecca A. Jimenez was arrested for her involvement in a vehicle arson fire at a Moses Lake motel parking lot over a drug debt dispute in 2022.

Two others, Cameron Ross and Nicholas E. Sussex were arrested on various drug charges for distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine in the Moses Lake area.