Special operation targets drugs, dealers in Benton City

Members of the Benton County gang team were unsure exactly what was in a suspected high-level drug dealer’s car as they trailed it on a Kennewick street.

The driver, a Richland woman named Molly Brown, was one of about 30 people the sheriff’s office targeted as part of a special investigation to rid Benton City streets of hard drugs.

As in many of the other cases, the five-man gang team relied heavily on confidential informants for tips that Brown was allegedly selling methamphetamine, heroin and prescription pills.

The team swooped in and stopped Brown’s white Ford Fusion. A search of the car turned up more than 70 grams of meth, more than 30 grams of heroin and nearly 70 pills. Some of the drugs were stashed in a black safe in the car.

Brown admitted to selling at least an ounce of meth every three days, according to court documents. She has pleaded guilt to a federal indictment for conspiracy to distribute.

The arrest is one of at least 19 so far during the special investigation, called the “Benton City Project,” which has been ongoing since the fall of 2014.

During that time, authorities have seized pounds of methamphetamine, ounces of heroin, cocaine and pills, vehicles, gun, and thousands of dollars in cash.

It is the largest operation run by the department’s gang unit.

“I think we have definitely made an impact,” said Sgt. Carlos Trevino, leader of the unit. “We had a goal we wanted to accomplish. We aren’t there yet, but we are getting there.”

Sheriff’s officials have kept the investigation mostly under wraps, choosing not to talk about it while they tracked down the most dangerous targets.

Benton City Mayor Linda Lehman wasn’t even aware of the operation until she was contacted by the Herald, she said.

Citizens have done a good job banding together over the last few years to keep an eye out for crime in the area, she said.

“I guess it’s gone underground,” Lehman said. “I’m thankful (the sheriff’s office) is taking care of these things.”

The operation centered on Benton City because a majority of resources to curtail drug dealing, gang violence and major crime are directed towards larger cities in the area, Trevino said.

The gang unit had also seen the drug problem grow in the small town of just over 3,000 people in the past few years, like many other places in the region and nation.

They developed a list of names that included drug dealers, addicts and known criminals. The focus was to crack down on drugs and property crimes, and to arrest anyone on the list who was involved in criminal activities.

“The goal was always lengthy prison sentences,” Trevino said.

The gang team started hitting the streets, conducting undercover buys and working with confidential informants to target big players in the drug trade. Some investigations spanned months.

Shortly after the operation was underway, Trevino and his team received tips that Francisco Sanchez-Hinojoso, 45, was selling drugs in the area.

A teen girl and her mother, who were living with Sanchez-Hinojoso in a Prosser trailer, confirmed they had seen drugs in the home, court documents said. The girl also alleged Sanchez-Hinojoso offered her marijuana in exchange for sexual favors.

“(The teen) indicated there were days when she would come home and there would be cars waiting for Sanchez-Hinojoso to arrive,” wrote Ian Garriques, assistant U.S. attorney, in court documents.

When authorities searched the North McDonald Road trailer, they discovered more than 300 grams of meth, 40 grams of cocaine, 100 grams of marijuana, and a 9mm pistol.

Investigators soon learned that Sanchez-Hinojoso was living under the identity of his brother, Manuel Sanchez-Mendoza. Once Sanchez-Hinojoso’s real identity was discovered, police realized he had previously been convicted of selling cocaine in Benton County, had been deported to Mexico and came back.

Sanchez-Hinojoso admitted to selling drugs in the area and living under a fake identity. Due to the amount and purity of the drugs found in his home, Sanchez-Hinojoso’s case was turned over to federal agents.

In October, Sanchez-Hinojoso was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute meth.

Trevino told the Herald that investigators believe Sanchez-Hinojoso was one of the biggest dealers in the western part of the county.

“After we put him in jail things got really unstructured in Benton City,” Trevino said. “That was a big blow (to the drug trade) in Benton City.”

Trevino pointed to cases like that of Sanchez-Hinojoso and Brown to show the impact the operation has had. He estimated up to six dealers have been arrested already. The team is still investigating a handful of other dealers.

There is at least one more case from the operation that will likely be prosecuted federally, though Trevino was not authorized to release details of the investigation, he said.

Despite taking some of the larger dealers off the streets, Trevino is adamant his gang team will continue to confront the drug problem.

“This is pretty much a never-ending project,” he said. “We have made a big impact, but we know we can’t just walk away.”

This story was originally published January 24, 2016 at 10:17 PM with the headline "Special operation targets drugs, dealers in Benton City."