Illegal Alien from Mexico Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Dealing Fentanyl and Unlawfully Possessing Firearms
Following Federal Sentencing Defendant Goes to King County Custody Charged with Murder for Fatal Shooting During Attempted Robbery
SEATTLE – A 22-year-old Mexican national illegally present in the U.S. was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to six years in prison for drug and gun crimes. Jesus Cristerna Lucas delivered 5,000 fentanyl pills to an undercover agent in November 2024. This drug sale came mere months after he had been arrested in California with a large load of methamphetamine and more than $100,000 in cash drug proceeds. At today’s sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge James L. Robart highlighted the danger of fentanyl saying, “You were unleashing in this community the dire threat of death from those pills… This is someone who needs to be removed from society.”
According to records filed in the case, Cristerna Lucas came to the attention of law enforcement during a wiretap investigation of a drug trafficking organization. The investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Lucas agreed to sell the undercover agent 5,000 fentanyl pills. The drugs tested positive for fentanyl.
“As a drug courier, Mr. Cristerna Lucas was responsible for trafficking thousands of deadly fentanyl pills into Western Washington and putting lives at risk,” said Robert A. Saccone, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division. “Drug trafficking and firearms are a deadly combination. When the defendant was arrested, he possessed a semi-automatic rifle. Through Fentanyl Free America, DEA is disrupting the fentanyl supply chain, reducing its availability, and protecting American lives.”
On July 2, 2025, Cristerna Lucas was arrested while driving in Seattle. DEA agents found that he had a Ruger AR-556 semi-automatic rifle and three loaded magazines and multiple rounds of .223 ammunition in his car. He was booked federally and charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. In June 2026 he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Cristerna Lucas will next be transferred to King County custody since he has been linked to a robbery plot that resulted in a fatal shooting in November 2024.
Judge Robart ordered four years of supervised release to follow the federal prison term. However, Lucas will likely be deported following his prison sentence.
The case was investigated by the DEA, HSI, and the Puyallup Police Department.
