Mexican national sentenced to 22 months in federal prison for role in Washington drug ring

A Mexican citizen illegally residing in Kent, Washington, was sentenced Monday to 22 months in federal prison for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy. Acting US Attorney Teal Luthy Miller announced in a statement that Martin Alonzo Peinado Torres, 33, was convicted in US District Court in Seattle for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.

According to court testimony, Peinado Torres claimed he was lured to the US by a Facebook advertisement offering construction work. Once he arrived and filled out paperwork for the supposed job, he was allegedly coerced into transporting narcotics. Peinado Torres told the court that members of the drug ring threatened his family, having obtained their personal information.

During sentencing, US District Judge Kymberly Evanson acknowledged that Peinado Torres had no prior criminal record in either Mexico or the United States. “You were lured to the US under false pretenses,” she said.

Court records reveal that Peinado Torres became involved with a drug trafficking organization already under federal investigation. He entered the country in May 2024, and by June was identified as an active participant in the drug ring. When authorities executed search warrants at his Kent residence on August 2, they discovered a cache of narcotics: over three kilograms of methamphetamine, nearly a kilogram of fentanyl pills, small amounts of fentanyl powder and cocaine, and more than $12,000 in cash believed to be drug proceeds.

Prosecutors had requested a four-year sentence, citing the devastating impact of fentanyl in the region. “In King County alone, there have been 453 overdose deaths as of June 16, 2025, with 380 of those deaths involving fentanyl,” prosecutors stated. “Mr. Peinado’s actions pushed highly dangerous, deadly, and addictive substances into the community.”

Peinado Torres is expected to be deported following the completion of his prison sentence.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Puyallup Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant US Attorney Casey Conzatti as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) initiative, a multi-agency effort aimed at dismantling high-level criminal organizations threatening public safety across the United States.