WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – The Whatcom Gang and Drug Task Force brought down the hammer on a drug distribution operation following a years-long investigation.

Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Deb Slater says five were arrested in connection to the Everett-based trafficking organization.

Officers arrested ringleader 37-year-old Mikel Escandon-Tibillin along with 22-year-old Washington Ruiz Bomboza on Monday, Aug. 5.

Escandon-Tibillin is believed to distribute drugs such as fentanyl, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine from Everett into Whatcom County using a dispatcher service. Investigators say orders for drugs would be placed over the phone and couriers would fill the orders and Escandon-Tibillin orchestrated the operation. He was charged with Delivering Controlled Substances, Money Laundering and Leading Organized Crime.

In May 2024, 34-year-old Austin Grimme from Bellingham was arrested for drug possession and manufacturing automatic firearms using a 3D-printer, but his arrest was kept quiet to protect the investigation.

The items seized at Grimme’s residence, including a 3D-printer he is believed to use for printing automatic firearms. Courtesy of Whatcom Gang and Drug Task Force.

Search warrants of two Everett apartments yielded 71 pounds of suspected drugs and over $60,000 in suspected drug proceeds.

26-year-olds Edwin Vita Delgado and Katerin Arangure-Arangure were arrested at the apartments during the search. Arangure-Arangure faces Money Laundering and Drug Possession charges, and Vita Delgado faces Drug Possession and Distribution charges.

Agencies involved in this investigation include the Whatcom Gang and Drug Task Force, Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office, Bellingham Police Department, Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force, Washington State Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine.