Bellingham, Washington, Drug Dealer Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Distributing Fentanyl While Possessing Firearms
Had More Than 3,200 Fentanyl Pills, Cocaine, Meth, and Four Firearms When His RV was Searched by Law Enforcement
SEATTLE, Wash. – A 39-year-old Bellingham, Washington, man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to ten years in prison for drug distribution and firearm crimes, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Daniel Faix was arrested in April 2023, and pleaded guilty in January to possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute, unlawful possession of firearms, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. At today’s sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones said, “You were caught and charged, and returned to dealing drugs.”
“When Mr. Faix encountered law enforcement in late December 2022, he was carrying thousands of fentanyl pills, and drug proceeds,” said U.S. Attorney Gorman. “But one arrest didn’t stop him, and four months later a search of his RV home turned up thousands more pills and four guns he kept to protect his drug business. Spreading such poison in our community while illegally possessing guns, and the defendant’s extensive criminal history, merits a ten-year-prison term.”
According to records filed in the case, Faix was one of six people charged federally in a months-long investigation of fentanyl dealing in Whatcom County. The ring was actively moving fentanyl from the Seattle area to redistributors in Bellingham. Law enforcement officers observed various drug transactions and interdicted the drug loads. In one instance, law enforcement was called to a mini-mart where two people involved with the drug ring overdosed on fentanyl and had to be revived and transported to the hospital.
In asking Judge Jones to impose the ten-year-sentence, Assistant United States Attorney Stephen Hobbs wrote to the court, “The Court is certainly aware of the dangers that these drugs – particularly fentanyl – pose to those who use them. And Faix must be aware of the harm caused by these drugs as his own life has been consumed and upended by drug use. Ultimately, Faix – for whatever reason – was willing to personally profit from the distribution of an addictive and often deadly controlled substance.”
One other member of the drug ring has been sentenced: 33-year-old Ahbdurman Ahmed of Seattle was sentenced in January 2024 to six years in prison. On Wednesday, defendant Natasha Parkhill, 38, of Bellingham, pleaded guilty and is scheduled for sentencing in July. Defendant Mohamed Abdirisak Mohamed, 35, of Seattle pleaded guilty in January and is scheduled for sentencing in June. Defendant Matthew Anderson, 35, of Bellingham, is scheduled for trial in July. Defendant Robel Sisay Gebremedhin, A/K/A Robel Sisay Gebremedhui, 41, of Burien, WA is being sought by law enforcement.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF .
This investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Whatcom County Drug and Gang Task Force, with valuable assistance provided by the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office, Washington State Patrol, and the Whatcom County Prosecutor’s Office.
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