United States Drug Enforcement Administration

SEATTLE– A 40-year-old Everett, Washington man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to six years in prison, announced U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Lamin Saho, aka “Buck,” was a significant fentanyl dealer identified in a wiretap investigation that culminated with fourteen arrests in October 2024 and five additional arrests in late 2025. The drug trafficking ring operated from Kent to Everett and members of the ring frequented two distribution locations in the University District of Seattle. Many of the drug traffickers were armed when guarding their stash or distributing their drugs. The leader of the drug crew was gunned down in the summer of 2024, in front of one of the U District locations. At the sentencing hearing Judge John H. Chun said, “Fentanyl is a dangerous drug that has devastated far too many lives. One has only to walk out on the streets of Seattle to see how it has devastated our community.”

“Mr. Saho distributed thousands of fentanyl pills – the calls recorded on the wiretap indicated he had access to as many as 10,000 pills at a time,” said U.S. Attorney Floyd. “Each one of those pills had the potential of killing the user. Our community is safer when we are able to prosecute these drug trafficking rings and get the suppliers behind bars.”

“Homeland Security Investigations, working closely with our law enforcement partners, led the investigation that brought Saho to justice and indictments for 18 others,” said HSI Seattle acting Special Agent in Charge April Miller. “Together, we are combatting the lethal effects of fentanyl in our communities by identifying, disrupting, and dismantling dangerous networks. Garnering this sentence for one of the defendants in this case shows our commitment to protecting the public and fighting violent crime at every level.”

“Drug trafficking and gun violence go hand in hand, and this case highlights the unfortunate reality, peddling deadly fentanyl and weapons in Seattle’s University District posed a clear and present danger to the entire community,” said Robert A. Saccone, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division. “The collaborative efforts of our federal prosecutors along with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners resulted in the dismantlement of this drug trafficking organization and brought us one step closer towards making America Fentanyl Free. DEA is committed to protect the United States from synthetic opioids by disrupting the fentanyl supply chain, reducing its availability, and saving American lives.”

The month-long telephone intercepts of Saho’s phone revealed he was one of the most prolific distributors of fentanyl within the drug trafficking group. Even after law enforcement seized 5,000 pills from Saho in a traffic stop, wiretap intercepts show he was wholly undeterred and continued to traffic fentanyl through the end of the interception period.

In the yearlong investigation, law enforcement seized 200,000 fentanyl pills, four kilograms of cocaine, 60 firearms, several Glock “switches,” multiple suppressors, and $250,000 in cash drug trafficking proceeds.

Members of the drug ring have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from four years to ten years.

Cooper Sherman, aka “Coop,” 28, of Seattle, who was a leader in the organization, was sentenced in November 2025 to ten years in prison for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Khaliil Ahmed, aka “Bossup,” 28, of Kent was sentenced in August 2025 to six years in prison for two counts of illegally possessing firearms. He was identified as a member of a drug trafficking conspiracy. He was injured in a fatal hookah bar shooting in South Seattle on August 20, 2023.

Yohannes Wondimagegnehu, aka “Jon,” 36, of Seattle was sentenced in August 2025 to six years in prison for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He helped staff an apartment on the edge of Seattle’s University District that was a known drug distribution location.

Dominique Sanders, 35, of Everett, who served as a redistributor in the organization, was sentenced in September 2025 to six years in prison for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.

Jaquan Means, 46, of Bellevue, who brokered at least two fentanyl transactions, was sentenced in December 2025 to six years in prison for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.

Oche Poston, 32, of Everett, who served as a runner for several fentanyl transactions and conducted other drug trafficking related activities at the direction of leaders within the organization, was sentenced in September 2025 to five and a half years in prison for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.

Patrick Smith, 28, of Seattle, who served as a redistributor in the organization, was sentenced in August 2025 to four years in prison for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.

Anteneh Tesfaye, 41, of Edmonds was sentenced in December 2025 to four years in prison for one count of illegally possessing a firearm. He was a drug redistributor who was supplied by one of the leaders of the drug trafficking organization.

At today’s sentencing Lamin Saho was ordered to serve four years of supervised release following his six-year prison term. However, he is a citizen of The Gambia who does not have immigration status in the U.S. and will likely be removed following his prison term.

This investigation is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Seattle comprises agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), The United States Marshals Service (USMS), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI), the United States Secret Service (USSS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington.

This investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with significant participation by Seattle Police Department (SPD), Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Washington State Patrol (WSP), FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations, Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations, U.S. Border Patrol, the King County Sheriff’s Office, the Bellevue Police Department, U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), Everett Police Department, Renton Police Department, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Washington State National Guard, Washington State Gambling Commission, Yakima County Law Enforcement Against Drugs (L.E.A.D) Narcotics and Gang Task Force, and Northwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA).

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michelle Jensen and Joseph Silvio.