A Seattle man, Mohamed Abdirisak Mohamed, has been sentenced to eight years in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones for his involvement in drug distribution and firearm offenses. Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller announced the sentence following Mohamed's guilty plea in January 2024.
Mohamed was apprehended twice with large quantities of fentanyl pills and a firearm, leading to charges of possession with intent to distribute and unlawful possession of firearms. Judge Jones remarked during sentencing, “You were involved in the dangerous combination of drugs and guns…. Those same drugs that you were dealing you had no idea where they would wind up… You put yourself in danger, your children in danger and their mother in danger.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Miller emphasized the impact of fentanyl on Whatcom County and reiterated the Department of Justice's commitment to combatting drug trafficking: “This defendant’s encounters with law enforcement bookend this investigation – he was caught with thousands of potentially deadly pills and firearms in November 2022 and again in April 2023," she said.
Mohamed was one among six individuals federally charged following an investigation into a fentanyl distribution network operating between Seattle and Bellingham. Assistant United States Attorney Stephen Hobbs highlighted Mohamed's role: "Mohamed was involved in an ongoing conspiracy to distribute fentanyl in Whatcom County... Ultimately, Mohamed – for whatever reason –was willing to personally profit from the distribution of an addictive and often deadly controlled substance."
Other defendants have received various sentences for their roles within the drug ring, while Robel Sisay Gebremedhin remains at large.
The case forms part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation aimed at dismantling significant criminal organizations across the United States through coordinated efforts led by multiple agencies including the DEA and local law enforcement.
Assistant United States Attorney Stephen Hobbs is prosecuting this case.