Seattle man sentenced to 8 years for distributing fentanyl in Whatcom County

A Seattle resident was sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty in January 2024 to multiple charges related to drug distribution and firearm possession.

Mohamed Abdirisak Mohamed, 35, was sentenced for two counts of possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, two counts of unlawful possession of firearms, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He was allegedly caught with thousands of fentanyl pills and a firearm on two separate occasions, intending to distribute throughout Whatcom County.

“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,” Acting U.S. Attorney Miller said. “Fentanyl has taken a deadly toll in Whatcom County, just as it has throughout our country. Stopping such drug trafficking is a key priority of the Department of Justice.”

Mohamed was one of six people charged federally following a months-long investigation into the distribution of fentanyl in Whatcom County. The ring Mohamed was involved with was actively moving fentanyl from the Seattle area to redistributors in Bellingham. Law enforcement officers observed various drug transactions during the investigation.

“Mohamed was involved in an ongoing conspiracy to distribute fentanyl in Whatcom County,” Judge Jones said. “Many of these drugs ended up being distributed…on the Lummi Indian reservation, a community hard hit by the fentanyl pandemic. The court is certainly aware of the danger that fentanyl poses to those who use it. Ultimately, Mohamed—for whatever reason—was willing to personally profit from the distribution of an addictive and often deadly controlled substance.”

Who else was sentenced from that fentanyl drug ring

Other members of the drug ring who have also been charged and sentenced include Daniel Faix, 40, of Bellingham, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison; Ahbdurman Ahmed, 34, of Seattle, who was sentenced to six years in prison; Natasha Parkhill, 38, of Bellingham, who was sentenced to four years in prison; and Matthew Anderson, 36, of Bellingham, who was sentenced to three years in prison.

Robel Sisay Gebremedhin, 42, of Burien, is currently being sought by law enforcement.

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