The Brief
- Fourteen people have been charged in connection to drug trafficking that spanned multiple states and originated in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District.
- The defendants are charged with allegedly trafficking cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and meth from California to Western Washington, often using violence and exploiting vulnerable community members.
- Authorities seized significant quantities of narcotics, including enough fentanyl to kill everyone in Seattle twice, and over $350,000 in cash, with three suspects still at large.
SEATTLE – Eleven individuals are now in federal custody following an extensive drug trafficking investigation that spanned multiple states and originated in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District, local and federal officials announced Monday.
The joint investigation — led by the Seattle Police Department and supported by the FBI, DEA, and U.S. Attorney’s Office — targeted a violent drug ring accused of exploiting vulnerable members of the community, particularly those experiencing homelessness and addiction.
“In this case, we targeted offenders who used both [drugs and guns] to prey on some of our most vulnerable communities,” David Reames, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s Seattle Division said. “They dealt in death in the form of drugs and guns.”…