Washington Methamphetamine Dealer Sentenced for Drug Trafficking

A Snohomish County methamphetamine dealer was sentenced to nine years in prison and five years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and counterfeiting.

The Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation designated "Operation Black ICE" was led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Snohomish Police Department.

Christopher Frick, 38, was arrested in March 2012 and pleaded guilty October 2012 to the charges. Court records say Frick came to the attention of authorities in 2011 when they caught him on court authorized wiretaps arranging drug deals during the investigation of the Berrelleza-Verduzco drug trafficking organization.

At the time, Frick was already being investigated by the U.S. Secret Service for using a counterfeit $50 bill that he made by altering a $5 bill. A search of his Monroe, Wash., residence following his arrest turned up methamphetamine and counterfeit U.S. currency. According to prosecutors, Frick has more than 30 prior convictions, ranging from burglary and drug possession to vehicle theft and forgery and fraud.

Operation Black ICE resulted in 34 indictments, and the seizure of more than 20 pounds of heroin, more than 30 pounds of methamphetamine, nearly $200,000 and 31 firearms - including 10 assault rifles. Frick is one of the first defendants in this case to plead guilty and be sentenced. The others are scheduled for trial later this year.

The investigation was assisted by OCDETF member agencies, including the Seattle, Lake Stevens, Everett, Monroe and Marysville police departments; the Eastside Narcotics Task Force; the Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force; the Skagit County Inter-local Drug Enforcement Unit; the Snohomish County Sheriff's Department; the Washington State Patrol; and U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Offices of Field Operations and Border Patrol. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Washington. 

ICE Trains Federal Enforcement Agents in Computer Forensics

For the past 14 years, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been responsible for training ICE officers and special agents to become computer forensic investigators.

ICE teaches the class in conjunction with the U.S. Secret Service and the Internal Revenue Service.

Each year, two, six-week classes are offered at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Charleston, S.C. The class is comprised of 24 students – eight from each agency. Next year will be the 14th consecutive year of the program.

After each session, instructors get together to figure out what tweaks need to be made for the next class. Keeping the sessions as up-to-date as possible is a key priority.

"It's ever changing," said Computer Forensic Unit's Matthew Swenson. "Each year, we try and take into account and implement things that are relevant."

The course is comprised of two parts: Basic Computer Evidence Recovery Training (BCERT) and Post Computer Evidence Recovery Training (PCERT). The first two weeks are taught by Hewlett Packard employees who teach students the ins and outs of computer software and hardware. The next four weeks focus on teaching students how to use that knowledge to actually conduct a computer forensic investigation. Participants learn how to examine the computer, how to find evidence and how to write a report that all parties involved in an investigation can understand.

Swenson noted that it's not only the investigators who have to be able to understand the report, but also everyone in the justice system who will be involved in the sentencing.

As technology continues to advance, Swenson said the need for computer forensic investigators also rises. These days, he said, almost all criminals use some kind of technology that evidence can be found on.

"We take regular investigators off the street and teach them everything the need to know," he said.

There are currently 250 computer forensic agents within ICE, working at fields offices throughout the nation and attaché offices across the world.