One county in Washington is bringing fentanyl dealers to justice. Praise God!
From The Bellingham Herald. One of six people indicted for their role in a drug trafficking ring that distributed thousands of fentanyl pills across Whatcom County and the Lummi Nation was sentenced to federal prison last week.
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Ahbdurman Ahmed, 33, of Seattle, was sentenced to six years in prison Jan. 5 in the Western District of Washington in U.S. District Court. Ahmed pleaded guilty Oct. 16 to two counts of possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm. The court dismissed one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl as part of a plea agreement.
Ahmed is one of six people who were federally indicted by a grand jury in April for drug trafficking and weapons charges. Three of the six people are from Bellingham, according to federal court records.
At Ahmed’s sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge Richard A. Jones said it was critical that he protect the public.
“I can’t imagine how you would feel if someone sold fentanyl to your children,” Jones said, according to a U.S. Department of Justice press release. …
“This defendant sold thousands of fentanyl pills in Whatcom County, pills that nearly killed him in an overdose. Even after that brush with death, he continued to sell — putting others at risk. Drug suppliers must be held accountable for their conduct, whether driven by addiction or by greed — in this case it appears it was both,” Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman said in a prepared DOJ statement. …
The Lummi Nation has been hit particularly hard by fentanyl, and has taken numerous steps to address the crisis. …
Ahmed was one of six people who were part of a fentanyl distribution organization that was actively moving fentanyl from the Seattle area to redistributors in Whatcom County. The drug trafficking ring had been under investigation since late 2022, according to previous DOJ press releases and reporting in The Bellingham Herald. …
In mid-January 2023, law enforcement seized bags filled with 1,000 fentanyl pills from two of Ahmed’s customers.
Less than two months later in March, law enforcement seized 3,000 fentanyl pills from Ahmed himself. At the time of the drug seizure, a Glock handgun with an extended magazine was found in the car Ahmed was driving, according to the press release. Ahmed was prohibited from possessing firearms due to prior criminal convictions.
According to DOJ press releases and federal court records, the five others indicted as part of the fentanyl trafficking ring are:
▪ Matthew Anderson, 35, of Bellingham. …
▪ Daniel John Faix, 41, of Bellingham. …
▪ Natasha Parkhill, 38, of Bellingham. …
▪ Mohamed Abdirisak Mohamed, 35, of Seattle. …
▪ Robel Sisay Gebremedhin, also known as Robel Sisay Gebremedhui, 41, of Burien. …
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(Excerpt from The Bellingham Herald. Photo Credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection)