BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Two Bellingham residents are facing federal charges for allegedly trafficking 20 pounds of cocaine.
U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd says Homeland Security investigators identified four people as possible members of a drug distribution conspiracy last summer.
Among them were 35-year-old Lorena Esquivel and 27-year-old Dustin Binion.
Investigators say they were implicated in a drug exchange involving roughly 20 pounds of cocaine for 15 pounds of crystal methamphetamine and over $150,000.
Court documents state that Esquivel and Binion were the two suspects who were questioned by Whatcom County Sheriff’s deputies after the alleged exchange, as previously reported by My Bellingham Now. They were caught with 10 kilograms of cocaine that was packaged with an image of the Marvel character “Thor.”
Law enforcement officers intercepted the exchange and executed search warrants on each of the suspects last week.
Binion was previously arrested by Bellingham Police on Oct. 2, 2025, and is currently being held at the Whatcom County Jail on separate charges.
If convicted of the federal charges, he and Esquivel each face a minimum of ten years in prison.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office provided key assistance to the investigation.
