Kirkland Man Charged with Drug Trafficking Offense Related to Recent Motel Robbery
Drugs Seized from Spokane Storage Unit
SPOKANE, Wash – On Thursday, Scott Banchero, age 58, of Kirkland, Washington, was charged by federal criminal complaint with Possession with Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or More of a Mixture or Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(A)(viii), according to Vanessa R. Waldref, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
As alleged in the criminal complaint, in the early morning hours of August 3, 2022, Banchero was identified as the victim of a robbery at a local motel in Spokane Valley, Washington. Banchero had just arrived from the Seattle, Washington area when the robbery occurred.
Agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, as well as detectives with the Spokane Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit, subsequently executed a federal search warrant on a storage unit rented to Banchero near Spokane, Washington. In the storage unit, law enforcement located approximately 20,000 fentanyl-laced pills, 2 pounds of methamphetamine, 1 kilogram of heroin, and a half pound of cocaine.
Assistant United States Attorneys Patrick Cashman and Caitlin Baunsgard of the Eastern District of Washington are handling this matter on behalf of the United States.
The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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