Two sentenced for drug trafficking in Seattle’s CID, homeless encampments along I-5
Jul 16, 2026, 9:57 AM
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
Two Seattle-area men were sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Seattle for drug and gun crimes. Isai Gamboa Pacheco, 56, and Sang Tran, 55, pleaded guilty to being involved in drug trafficking in Seattle’s International District and the homeless encampment on I-5 known as “The Jungle.”
The sentencing followed an investigation into the two mid-level dealers, who prosecutors said sold pounds of methamphetamine and cocaine while armed with high-powered guns.
Isai Gamboa Pacheco, of Everett, Washington, received a six-year prison sentence. Sang Tran, of Kent, Washington, was sentenced to 66 months in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Washington.
“Both these defendants had one job and one job only — selling large amounts of meth and cocaine for distribution in the areas of our community plagued by crime and unhoused, vulnerable people dealing with addiction,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. “Still, their greed kept them selling these poisons and carrying high-powered firearms to protect their drug trade.”
The investigation began in November 2023 with the Seattle Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Drug Enforcement Administration focusing on drug trafficking organizations. These organizations dealt fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin in Seattle’s homeless encampments and in drug trafficking areas of the International District, such as 12th and Jackson.
Tran was among the first group of defendants arrested in January 2025. During that initial arrest operation, law enforcement seized 17 firearms and 23 kilograms of a suspected narcotic powder.
Wiretaps captured Tran arranging to purchase a pound of methamphetamine for redistribution. A search of his home uncovered about 330 grams of cocaine, a loaded Taurus 12 shotgun, ammunition, and drug proceeds, including United States currency, jewelry, and Rolex watches. Two additional rifles were found in his garage. Tran admitted to keeping the guns to protect his drugs and drug proceeds, and he pleaded guilty to money laundering for hiding tens of thousands of dollars through a nail salon.
Isai Gamboa Pacheco was arrested during the second takedown related to the drug trafficking conspiracy. After the January operation, the investigation continued into other traffickers who made frequent trips between Washington, Oregon, and California.
In March 2025 alone, law enforcement seized 100 pounds of methamphetamine, 111 kilograms of cocaine, 19 kilograms of fentanyl powder, 250,000 fentanyl pills, and four kilograms of heroin. The street value of these narcotics was nearly $3 million.
On May 29, 2025, investigators executed 16 search warrants across Federal Way, Vancouver, Everett, Pacific, Tukwila, Kent, Issaquah, Seattle, Woodlake, California, and Beaverton, Oregon. These searches resulted in the seizure of more than seven kilograms of cocaine, 18 kilograms of methamphetamine, more than 57,000 fentanyl pills, and 17 firearms. More than $353,000 in cash was also seized.
Wiretaps recorded Gamboa Pacheco making kilogram-quantity deals for cocaine. During a search of his residence, investigators recovered more than $16,000 in drug proceeds. Further evidence was found in two of his vehicles, including almost three kilograms of methamphetamine and an unloaded Colt AR15 rifle with a drum magazine inside a Honda.
Gamboa Pacheco pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and to being an alien in possession of a firearm. Prosecutors sought a 90-month prison sentence, noting that this was his second drug trafficking conviction. They stated he voluntarily re-engaged in drug trafficking for personal profit and obtained a firearm despite being legally unable to possess it. Gamboa Pacheco has no legal status in the U.S. and was previously removed to Mexico.
“Despite a previous conviction for the same offence, you came back to this country and did it again … but on a much larger scale,” said U.S. District Judge Tana Lin, addressing Gamboa Pacheco at his sentencing hearing.
“Mr. Pacheco and Mr. Tran sought to profit from the addictions and suffering of others by redistributing huge quantities of dangerous drugs, and both were found in possession of even more drugs, along with firearms, during searches of their residences,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office.
He added that the FBI and its partners will continue to hold accountable those involved in such conspiracies.
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