Cartel-Linked Trafficker Gets 19 Years in Oroville Drug Bust

A Mexican national has been sentenced to 19 years in federal prison for leading a drug trafficking ring that flooded North Central Washington and tribal communities with fentanyl and meth.
45-year-old Luis Esquivel-Bolanos, also known as “Colorado,” was convicted in April on multiple drug and firearms charges and will serve five additional years on supervised release.

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Prosecutors say Esquivel-Bolanos was second-in-command in a cartel-backed network distributing narcotics across Washington and Montana, including the Colville Reservation and several tribal lands.

How the Cartel Network Operated

The group used threats and violence to protect its turf and intimidate informants.
A 2023 raid near Oroville uncovered one of rural Washington’s largest drug seizures: 161,000 fentanyl-laced pills, 80 pounds of meth, 6 pounds of heroin, 2 pounds of cocaine, and 12 firearms. Much of it was found in Esquivel-Bolanos’s trailer.

Federal authorities say the organization was supplied by the violent Jalisco Cartel.
The case resulted in 27 convictions and was prosecuted under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force.