The massive investigation targeting a large international drug smuggling and distribution ring that involved 20 federal search warrants and hundreds of Southwest Washington law enforcement officials had its roots in Grays Harbor.  Grays Harbor Undersheriff Rick Scott says what at first appeared to be a Grays Harbor-Pacific County case, began to spread to Western Washington, Oregon and California.  Scott says that led to the Drug Task Force partnering the Drug Enforcement Agency to learn more about the group that the US Attorny's office says is "the primary distributor of highly pure methamphetamine from Mexico, into the south Puget Sound, Southwest Washington and Olympic Peninsula areas.  That two year investigation culminated yesterday with the arrest of three Pacific County and nine Grays Harbor residents.  Those suspects were primarily Mexican nationals linked to the Barragan Drug Trafficking Organization, but Scott says a 47-year old woman, Tammy Jerome of Copalis Beach was taken into custody as was Aberdeen businessman Bob Blanchard, who Scott says was heavily involved with the organization.  Scott says the arrests should have a serious impact on the trafficing of drugs into Grays Harbor and the rest of Southwest Washington and were the result of hard work by no less than 70 Grays Harbor law enforcement officials and officers from several different jurisdictions.

The Grays Harbor portion of the case was part of a larger operation yesterday that included several arrests in Thurston County and other areas of the state.  Seven suspects made their first court appearance on Wednesday.  The remaining suspects are expected to be in court today.  In the last 24 hours agents seized 20 pounds of methamphetamine, 41 firearms and $100-thousand in currency.