Man sentenced to 10 years in prison over white supremacist-linked drug trafficking ring in WA

On Friday, Chief US District Judge David G. Estudillo sentenced Anthony Escoto to 120 months behind bars, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

“Controlled substances cause a huge amount of damage… the damage is not just to the individual but also to the community,” Judge Estudillo said at sentencing.

Court records show that Escoto was repeatedly intercepted on wiretaps over a two-year investigation, ordering pound quantities of methamphetamine and thousands of fentanyl pills for redistribution. In one instance, Escoto was arrested after a vehicle he was riding in was stopped with drugs inside. Though his co-defendant initially claimed ownership, investigators had already heard Escoto arrange the deal on recorded calls.

A search of his Tukwila, Washington, residence on March 22, 2023, uncovered additional methamphetamine and two firearms, a shotgun and an SKS rifle, illegal for Escoto to possess due to his prior felony convictions.

Prosecutors described Escoto as having a decades-long criminal record, including convictions for aggravated assault, identity theft, assault with a deadly weapon, drug trafficking, obstruction of justice, and domestic assault. He also has a history of prison violence, once charged for biting a guard while shouting racial slurs.

Though he denied gang membership, Escoto’s ties to the Aryan Family and Omerta prison gangs were noted by investigators. He also bears multiple neo-Nazi tattoos.

Escoto’s case was part of a massive March 2023 law enforcement operation involving more than 350 officers and 10 SWAT teams. Authorities executed coordinated raids across Washington and Arizona, seizing 177 firearms, over 10 kilos of methamphetamine, 11 kilos of fentanyl pills, fentanyl powder, heroin, and more than $330,000 in cash.

Earlier in the investigation, authorities confiscated an additional 830,000 fentanyl pills, 223 pounds of methamphetamine, and nearly $400,000 in cash. In total, more than two dozen individuals were arrested, including top leader Jesse Bailey, who was sentenced in July to 17.5 years in prison. Federal prosecutors pushed for a 13-year sentence for Escoto, citing his long history of crime and his association with prison gangs.

“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,” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memo. “While he denies belonging to either gang, he appears to share their ideology of white supremacy and racial animus.”

Judge Estudillo ultimately handed down a 10-year sentence. The investigation was part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) program, which targets the nation’s most dangerous drug traffickers and criminal organizations through coordinated, multi-agency efforts.

The probe was led by the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), with support from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Washington State Department of Corrections, the Tacoma Police Department, Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, and the Thurston County Narcotics Task Force. Additional assistance came from the Washington State Patrol, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Customs and Border Protection, and several local law enforcement agencies.