Ballard Drug Dealing Charges

The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office rush filed three drug dealing charges and four unlawful gun possession charges against a Ballard man in a case investigated by Seattle Police, the FBI and Homeland Security.

The defendant, is charged with:

• Violation of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act (possession with intent — meth)
• Violation of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act (possession with intent — fentanyl)
• Violation of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act (possession with intent — heroin)
• Unlawful Possession of a Firearm in the Second Degree (4 charges)

From the charging documents:

On September 22, 2022, Seattle Police and agents from Homeland Security and the FBI served a search warrant on the defendant’s home in the 600 block of Northwest 58th St. The defendant, post Miranda, told detectives that inside his home, they would find fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine, and firearms. The defendant told officers everything belonged to him. After the search of the home, officers recovered 14 firearms, to include handguns, rifles, and semi-automatic rifles. In addition, officers located 1,345.4 grams of fentanyl, 238.2 grams of heroin, and 14.8 grams of methamphetamine. Officers located additional narcotics, ammunition, body armor, firearm accessories, narcotics wrapping material, and $44,482 in US Currency. The defendant is ineligible to possess a firearm due to a prior felony conviction.

King County Prosecutors argued that he be held on $500,000 bail at the first appearance. The first appearance judge set bail at $150,000, and because we didn’t have the grounds to re-argue that amount, the KCPAO asked for that amount to be maintained when we rush filed charges.

The defendant remains in the King County Jail. This is the first felony case involving this defendant sent to our office since 2003, which ended in the Attempted Forgery conviction. Additional charges in this case are possible.

We appreciate the work of Seattle Police, the FBI and Homeland Security on this investigation.

Drug possession cases — even cases of people using meth and heroin on the streets — have not been felony crimes since the State Supreme Court’s Blake decision in February 2021. However, King County prosecutors still charge drug dealers, often fentanyl dealers. King County prosecutors have filed 24 drug dealing charges this month. In August, the KCPAO filed 21 drug dealing charges.