SPOKANE, Wash. — 21 people from the Spokane area are facing federal drug and gun charges in 15 different indictments following a 7-month-long drug trafficking investigation.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington, some of the people charged are not yet in federal custody.
The investigation, which began in October of 2024, targeted violent and armed drug traffickers in the Spokane area, as well as those operating on Division Street downtown.
The Attorney’s Office says the people charged have not only been problems in Washington but also were connected to incidents in Texas, Nevada, North Dakota, Montana, Alabama, Idaho, Oregon and California.
As part of the investigation, law enforcement seized nearly 14 pounds of methamphetamine, over 1 kilogram of heroin, over 16,000 fentanyl pills, over 5 and a half pounds of fentanyl powder, nearly $60,000 in cash and 36 guns.
“This is not simply a drug problem. It is a public safety emergency,” said Richard Barker, acting United States Attorney, Eastern District of Washington.
Barker said the amount of fentanyl seized was “enough to kill the entire capacity of the Spokane Arena twice.”
Federal officials have also filed to seize control of an apartment complex near North Central High School, which was said to be used to sell drugs and guns.
Court documents show that between January 2024 and January 2025, police have been called out to the property 58 times. Calls included domestic violence, suspicious people around the property, drug activity, burglaries, a shooting, two calls for dead people on the property and more.
Investigators said the charges are a step in the right direction.
“This takedown sends a message that we will not tolerate those who threaten the safety and well-being of our communities,” said Ellen Johnson, Acting Deputy Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations for the Seattle Field Division.
Residents will still be allowed to live on the property for the next few months while federal officials continue the process to seize it. If more criminal activity happens in the apartments, however, officials can come in and shut it down.
“If you traffic in fentanyl and fuel violence in our neighborhoods, we will find you. We will investigate you and we will prosecute you,” Barker said.
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