Seattle man sentenced to 5 years for drug trafficking while armed with ‘ghost gun’

A 24-year-old Seattle man was sentenced Friday to five years in prison for dealing cocaine while armed with a 9mm polymer gun with an extended magazine.

Ishmael Malakhi Washington was arrested on July 28, 2025, after Seattle police witnessed him sell drugs near Second Avenue and Blanchard Street, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced.

When he was taken into custody, officers found dealer-packaged amounts of crack cocaine and a 9mm firearm with an extended magazine holding 27 bullets. Law enforcement identified the firearm as a “ghost gun” produced by a 3D printer that lacked a serial number.

“I hope you are serious when you say you are intent on making changes for the future,” U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez told Weddington at the sentencing hearing.

“It’s imperative that I never return here again,” Weddington responded.

“People can say anything they want – but they need to walk the walk,” Judge Martinez said.

Downtown operation leads to discovery of cocaine and loaded firearm

On the day of Weddington’s arrest, Seattle police officers were conducting an operation in downtown Seattle to address drug trafficking and observed Weddington “making laps” around a block while wearing a crossbody bag and a hooded sweatshirt, according to records filed in the case.

The front pocket of Weddington’s sweatshirt appeared to be weighed down by a heavy object. Officers watched a woman approach Weddington before they walked a distance away and she handed him some folded bills.

Weddington then checked his surroundings, reached into his bag, and handed her a small, white, “rock-like substance,” and the woman left, according to the DOJ.

Minutes later, officers moved in to arrest Weddington. Officers located the firearm with the extended magazine hanging out of his sweatshirt pocket. Officers also found cocaine, money, and a scale in his crossbody bag.

Weddington was charged federally on August 7, 2025, and later pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime on Aug. 6.

“Not only was Weddington engaged in drug trafficking activities for his financial gain, but he did so while armed with a semi-automatic handgun equipped with an extended magazine loaded with 27 rounds of ammunition,” prosecutors wrote to the court in asking for a five-year sentence. “The combination of his drug trafficking activities with a firearm, which he admits was possessed in furtherance of his drug trafficking enterprise, placed the community at risk of significant harm.”

Judge Martinez imposed three years of supervised release to follow his prison sentence.

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