The April takedown of the Barragan drug cartel has had a "significant" impact on methamphetamine trafficking in the region, particularly at the coast, federal and local law enforcement officials said last week.

"Since the arrests, there has been significant reduced availability of meth throughout Southwest Washington," said Jodie Underwood of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's Seattle office. "Also, the prices for meth have increased and the purity has decreased, which is likely attributed to the reduced availability of the drug since these arrests."

The four-year investigation led to the arrests of 41 people and seizures of 89 pounds of meth, 50 firearms and $255,000 in cash.

Three of the four men from Woodland and Long Beach arrested in April have pleaded guilty in federal court. One has already been sentenced, and the other two will be sentenced Monday.

The fourth, Epifanio Barragan Estrada of Woodland, is scheduled for trial Nov. 18 in Tacoma along with 18 other federal defendants whom authorities have identified as key members of the organization.

The Barragan organization controlled the distribution of meth along the Interstate 5 corridor, bringing 200 pounds a month up from superlabs in Mexico, according to court documents. About half the meth stayed in Washington, and the rest was shipped to the Midwest and East Coast, authorities said.

The price for an ounce of meth is $1,000 to $1,200, compared to $600 two years ago, narcotics agents said.

Woodland appears to have been a way station for the drug, agents said.

According to the federal court affidavit, a drug runner brought shipments from Mexico to Epifanio Barragan Estrada, who distributed the drug from his base in Woodland to Grays Harbor and Pacific counties and the south area of Puget Sound.

Because the meth wasn't sold here, the impact of this particular bust on Cowlitz County drug dealing was not high, said an undercover agent with the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Narcotics Task Force.

"Our goal is to go after the highest dealer we can get up to, and that generally takes us out of our jurisdiction," he said.

However, in Pacific County, where agents arrested Francisco Javier Cortez Villa and Miguel Barian Farias in Long Beach, the drop in meth availability was immediately apparent, Sheriff John Didion said Thursday.

"We saw right afterward a reduction in the overall trafficking," Didion said. "But we're not kidding ourselves. … We're not assuming it's stopped by any means. Those pieces, if they haven't been replaced (yet), probably are being replaced."

Long Beach Police Chief Flint Wright agreed.

"It goes down, but we have to maintain our diligence," he said.

Didion said he views the drug war as "an ongoing struggle," and he appreciates the intelligence sharing with the DEA, which they didn't have before the investigation, and the Regional Narcotics Task Force, created in 2006.

Most of the fight against major dealers has concentrated on the Interstate 5 corridor, particularly in King and Pierce counties. But the master court affidavit about the Barragan cartel reveals the organization worked out of small cities and counties.

"It's a business decision there," Didion said. "They move from I-5 to our area, (Highway) 101, where there's less officers and less enforcement. � We're rural enough that trafficking activities stand out.

"If I were a business person, and my business wasn't succeeding in particular area, I'd move it," he said. That's what we're hoping, that they move it out of our county."

Status of federal cases:

—Epifanio Barragan Estrada, 37, aka Alejandro Gonzalez Tapia, Woodland. Charged with three counts of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and three counts of conspiracy to engage in money laundering. Trial scheduled for Nov. 18 in U.S. District Court in Tacoma.

—Jesus Gonzalez Tapia, (aka Jesus Larios Ruiz), 37, Woodland. Brother of Epifanio/Alejandro, according to court documents. Pleaded guilty June 11 to alien in possession of a firearm, a Glock .45 caliber semiautomatic pistol. Penalty is up to 10 years in federal prison, followed by deportation. Sentencing is Monday.

— Francisco Javier Cortez Villa, 33, Long Beach. Pleaded guilty June 9 to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Defense has recommended 13 months in federal custody, followed by deportation. Sentencing is Monday.

—Miguel Barian Farias, 24, Long Beach. Pleaded guilty to two counts of alien in possession of a firearm. Sentenced Sept. 4 to six months in federal custody, followed by deportation.

— Francisco Manuel Rios Chavez, 22, aka "Meno," sometimes stayed in Woodland. Federal indictment calls him a drug runner for Epifanio Barragan Estrada. At large. Bench warrant issued for his arrest.

Status of state cases:

- Lucero Marlen Paniagua Lopez, 34, Woodland. Live-in girlfriend of Epifanio/Alejandro. Charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Trial set for Sept. 24 in Cowlitz County Superior Court.

- Maria Barragan Estrada, 35, Woodland. Wife of Jesus Gonzalez Tapia. Charged with forgery of Social Security documents. Trial set for Sept. 24 in Cowlitz County Superior Court.