The leader of a wide-ranging drug distribution network that was uncovered in Seattle’s International District and nearby homeless encampments was sentenced to 10 years in prison, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd announced in a news release last week.
Octavio Salazar Palma, 34, of Federal Way, was arrested in May 2025 following a wiretap investigation.
“This case began with officers on the street working their way up the supply chain until prosecutors had enough evidence to get a court approved wiretap,” Floyd said in the news release. “The wiretap allowed us to identify the leaders, and more importantly, interdict drug shipments before they hit our streets. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is keenly aware of the law enforcement problems facing the International District and is committed to doing all we can to address them.”
In an investigation in March 2025 alone, law enforcement seized 100 pounds of methamphetamine, 111 kilos of cocaine, 19 kilos of fentanyl powder, 250,000 fentanyl pills, and four kilos of heroin. The street value of the narcotics was nearly $3 million.
On May 29, 2025, law enforcement moved to take down Salazar Palma’s network. They executed 16 search warrants in Federal Way, Vancouver, Everett, Pacific, Tukwila, Kent, Issaquah, Seattle, Woodlake, California, and Beaverton, Oregon. Investigators seized more than 7 kilograms of cocaine, 18 kilograms of methamphetamine, more than 57,000 fentanyl pills, and 17 firearms. They also seized more than $353,000 in cash.
On April 15, Salazar Palma pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to engage in money laundering.
“Mr. Salazar Palma led the drug trafficking organization that targeted some of Seattle’s most vulnerable, living in encampments in ‘The Jungle,’ while he bought expensive cars and jewelry with the profits,” Robert A. Saccone, special agent in charge, DEA Seattle Field Division, said. “Today’s sentence and the seizure of massive amounts of fentanyl, meth, and cocaine demonstrate DEA’s commitment to dismantling these criminal networks along with our federal, state, and local partners. Through our Fentanyl Free America, we are disrupting the fentanyl supply chain, reducing its availability, and protecting American lives.”
Salazar Palma is a U.S. citizen who will be on four years of supervised release following prison.
The investigation was led by the FBI, Seattle Police Department and Drug Enforcement Administration with significant assistance from the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program, Homeland Security Investigations, and Washington National Guard Counterdrug Program. Investigators also worked with the Oregon State Police and Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Casey Conzatti and Brian Wynne.
