Leader of B.C.'s 'U.N. Gang' gets 30 years for drug smuggling

To some, U.S. District Chief Judge Robert Lasnik observed Wednesday, "U.N. Gang" founder Clayton Roueche is a monster — a "prototypical" drug kingpin responsible for smuggling tons of marijuana and cocaine across the Canadian border and enforcing his operation through violence.

But to the members of his gang, the judge pointed out, he was the "personification of honor." And to his family and friends, he was the devoted full-time single father of three children.

"Clayton Roueche is none of these people alone, and all of these people together," Lasnik noted, saying that he saw "much good" in the 34-year-old drug smuggler.

That didn't stop Lasnik from giving Roueche a new title: federal convict. And Lasnik saw to it that Roueche will remain in prison a very long time, giving him a 30-year term — one of the longest drug sentences ever imposed in the Western Washington federal judicial district.

The stocky Roueche apologized "to my family and friends for getting into this situation. I promise I will not make the same mistake and will do better," he told the court. He stared down at the defense table with his chin on his fists and otherwise didn't react as the sentence was handed down.

Federal prosecutors got the sentence they asked for and said they hoped it would deter the next would-be kingpin who climbs to the apex of the lucrative and violent British Columbia drug trade.

Even so, Leigh Winchell, the special agent in charge of the Seattle office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said there was little doubt someone would take Roueche's place.

"It's like weeding a garden," he said. "You pull up one weed, and another comes up to take its place."

The investigation into Roueche began in 2004 when a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent heard rumors that helicopters were smuggling marijuana into the Northwest along the border forests. Dubbed Operation Frozen Timber, the investigation cracked the U.N. Gang and ultimately netted more than 2,000 pounds of marijuana, 335 kilograms of cocaine and more than $2 million in U.S. currency.

Todd Maybrown, Roueche's attorney, told the court that Roueche had changed while awaiting sentencing in the federal prison in Marion, Ill., where he was transferred for unspecified security concerns.

"I would suggest that the court not throw away the key," he said.

Maybrown said Roueche spared the government a potentially grueling trial when he pleaded guilty to three conspiracy counts — the exportation of marijuana, the importation of cocaine and money laundering earlier this year.

"He has taken responsibility," Maybrown said. "He's not blaming anyone else."

But Lasnik said that Roueche had distinguished himself as a dope smuggler.

Canadian authorities and U.S. prosecutors said that since its inception in 1997 in the B.C. town of Chilliwack, the U.N. Gang — so named because its members span racial and cultural lines — has used violence and intimidation to become an organization responsible for moving tons of drugs and millions of illegal dollars.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Susan Roe said there is evidence that the gang was moving as much as $26 million a year in cash alone. The operation smuggled thousands of pounds of marijuana from B.C. to the U.S., often into Seattle. Cash generated by its sale was used to buy multi-kilogram loads of cocaine in Mexico, which was imported back into Canada.

Maybrown had complained that many of the allegations of violence leveled at Roueche were from Canadian authorities. He said it would be unfair to let unproven allegations impact his sentence in this case.

Lasnik agreed, and said he considered some of the evidence proffered by the government "with a large grain of salt."

But at the same time, he said there is no doubt that Roueche was the "leader, with a capital 'L,'" of the operation.

"I am absolutely certain that Mr. Roueche feared no one, took orders from no one and that he is responsible," the judge said.

And while Roueche may have been a terrific father to his three children, the court has other considerations.

"There are other children ... who go to bed hungry at night because their parents spend the money they have feeding their habit," the judge said. "These are not victimless crimes."

Mike Carter: 206-464-3706 or mcarter@seattletimes.com