Crime & Safety
Lakewood Man Convicted of Gun, Drug Charges In Federal Crime Crackdown
He was arrested in October 2011 as part of a crackdown on crime in the King County neighborhood of White Center.
In one of the first federal cases to go to trial from “Operation Center of Attention,” a federal jury deliberated four hours today before convicting a Lakewood man of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
Roman Rosas-Martinez, 31, was arrested in October 2011 as part of a federal crackdown on crime in the White Center neighborhood of King County. He faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison when U.S. District Judge Richard Jones sentences him on July 13.
According to records filed in the case and trial testimony, in September 2011, Rosas-Martinez sold a shotgun to a person working with law enforcement; following that deal, he indicated that he had relatives who could sell the person meth. A drug deal was set up for Oct. 12 at a White Center storage facility.
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As the conspirators removed about 10 kilograms of meth from a hidden compartment in their car, they were apprehended by law enforcement. Three handguns were recovered, including one belonging to Rosas-Martinez.
“Illicit drug distributors are concerned with one thing: making money,” said Brad Bench, HSI Seattle acting special agent in charge, in a statement. “They don’t care about the lives they destroy or the children they get hooked on meth. HSI is dedicated to dismantling the illicit drug trade and bringing those responsible to justice.”
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“Operation Center of Attention” was a three-month, coordinated effort targeting firearms and violent repeat offenders in the White Center area. More than 50 people were arrested, 70 guns, 51 pounds of meth, 2 pounds of crack cocaine and more than 10 pounds of powder cocaine were taken off the street.
The investigation was a coordinated joint effort by ATF, the King County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigation (HSI), the Seattle Police Department, the King County Metro Transit Police, Washington State Department of Corrections, Washington State Liquor Control Board and the Eastside Narcotics Task Force.
Assistant United States Attorneys Justin Arnold and Mark Parrent prosecuted the case.
