Renton man sentenced to 7 years for distributing heavy drugs
Published 5:59 pm Friday, June 12, 2026
A long-time Renton resident was sentenced to seven years in prison for distributing “pound quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine.”
Manuel Garcia Hernandez, 41, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 84 months in prison for his role as a significant drug distributor in both western Washington and western Kentucky.
“This was an extremely serious, very significant drug conspiracy with national and international reach, exposing multiple communities to harm,” said U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez.
Hernandez, an undocumented Mexican national residing in Renton, was arrested in June 2024 after a wiretap investigation of a drug trafficking organization importing methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine into the Seattle area from Mexico and Colombia. Upon searching his residence and truck, law enforcement found heroin, a loaded firearm, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and 12 mobile phones.
Between 2020 and 2024, the Homeland Security Task Force began investigating the drug trafficking organization, which resulted in seizures of more than 32 kilograms of cocaine, 14 kilograms of methamphetamine, 83,000 fentanyl-laced pills, 3 kilograms of heroin and 1 kilogram of fentanyl powder. Hernandez became a focus of investigation when wiretaps conducted in late 2023 showed he was cutting deals for pound quantities of meth and cocaine.
“This investigation dismantled a drug trafficking operation responsible for distributing dangerous narcotics across in Western Washington by tracking the source of supply all the way back to the jungles of Colombia,” DEA Special Agent in Charge Rob Saccone said. “Working alongside our federal, state, local, and international partners, DEA remains committed to targeting the criminal organizations that peddle poison, drive addiction, and threaten public safety. This work is central to DEA’s commitment to a Fentanyl-Free America by reducing the availability of synthetic opioids, saving lives and protecting our communities.”
While redistributing drugs in Washington, Hernandez brokered a three-kilogram deal for controlled substances that were to be delivered in the western district of Kentucky.
Hernandez pleaded guilty in May 2025 to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
“This case highlights the problems with sanctuary policies. Those in favor of these policies see a man who lived in the community for 20 years, owned a construction business, and has a family. In reality, this defendant entered the United States illegally and willfully participated in the destruction of other families by spreading meth, heroin and cocaine in our community,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. “He was previously convicted of crimes in Washington including a 2022 DUI, but sanctuary policies kept him from being turned over to federal immigration authorities. It is a disturbing reality that in Washington State it takes a federal felony conviction to finally get him removed from the U.S. following his term in prison.”
