ERO Seattle removes citizen of Costa Rica convicted of drug trafficking

SEATTLE — ERO Seattle removed Juan Carlos Barrantes, 40, who was convicted of charges related to drug trafficking, to his home country of Costa Rica Sept. 25.

Barrantes was arrested Feb. 7, 2020, about 150 nautical miles south of Costa Rica by the U.S. Coast Guard and charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine on board a vessel. He was paroled into the United States for criminal prosecution and convicted by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California of two counts of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute on board a vessel as well as aiding and abetting. Barrantes was sentenced to 60 months of incarceration March 30, 2022. ERO Seattle encountered Barrantes at the Federal Detention Center in Seattle Feb. 24, 2023, lodging an immigration detainer the same day. He was arrested and transported to the Northwest ICE Processing Center June 7. An immigration judge ordered Barrantes, who is also wanted for drug trafficking in Costa Rica, removed to Costa Rica July 14.

“ERO Seattle officers serve as a vital part of a federal law enforcement effort to protect our country from foreign drug traffickers. This removal is an example of that commitment and shows a respect for the rule of law in the home country of the noncitizen,” said ERO Seattle Field Office Director Drew H. Bostock.

Noncitizens placed into removal proceedings receive their legal due process from federal immigration judges in the immigration courts, which are administered by the Executive Office for Immigration Review. The Executive Office for Immigration Review is an agency within the U.S. Department of Justice and is separate from the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Immigration judges in these courts make decisions based on the merits of each individual case. ICE officers carry out the removal decisions made by the federal immigration judges.

As one of ICE’s three operational directorates, ERO is the principal federal law enforcement authority in charge of domestic immigration enforcement. ERO’s mission is to protect the homeland through the arrest and removal of those who undermine the safety of U.S. communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws, and its primary areas of focus are interior enforcement operations, management of the agency’s detained and non-detained populations, and repatriation of noncitizens who have received final orders of removal. ERO’s workforce consists of more than 7,700 law enforcement and non-law enforcement support personnel across 25 domestic field offices and 208 locations nationwide, 30 overseas postings, and multiple temporary duty travel assignments along the border.

Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-347-2423 or completing the online tip form.

Learn more about ICE’s mission to increase public safety in your community on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @EROSeattle.