A 22-year-old Venezuelan national, Sebastian Velasquez-Perez, was arrested in Federal Way, Washington, after being found with a large quantity of suspected narcotics. Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller announced that Velasquez-Perez made his initial appearance this week in U.S. District Court in Seattle. He was apprehended at St Francis Hospital following treatment for a drug overdose and remains in federal detention awaiting a hearing on March 17, 2025.
The criminal complaint states that on March 8, 2025, police responded to a call from a motel in Federal Way where Velasquez-Perez was discovered unresponsive. Motel staff administered two doses of NARCAN and performed CPR before he was taken to the hospital. Authorities obtained a court order to search his room.
Inside the room, law enforcement seized five bags containing approximately 3.2 kilograms of methamphetamine, 12 bags of an unidentified powdery substance pending testing as a controlled substance, five bags containing around 5,000 fentanyl pills, and two bags of black tar believed to be heroin. Additionally, three cellphones, a digital scale with drug residue, and nearly $8,000 in cash were found.
No documents indicating Velasquez-Perez's legal presence in the United States were found in the hotel room.
The investigation is being conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI), and the Valley Narcotics Enforcement Team (VNET).