‘Predatory behavior’: Seattle man gets 75 months for selling drugs in ‘The Jungle’ encampment

A 43-year-old Seattle man was sentenced to 75 months in prison Wednesday for his years-long activity dealing meth and fentanyl in Seattle homeless encampments and the Chinatown-International District (CID).

Khampheth Keodara sold fentanyl pills, methamphetamine, and cocaine to people residing in a homeless encampment under I-5 near the CID, informally known as “The Jungle,” the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced.

“You were dealing fentanyl, meth, and cocaine – drugs that cause great harm in our community. Your actions added to all that suffering,” Judge Tana Lin said at the sentencing hearing.

U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd noted Keodara has had his sentences reduced in three other cases, after he agreed to undergo treatment. In each instance, he was unable to complete the drug treatment program.

“On three separate King County cases, Keodara got a break from judges, and a reduced sentence for his crimes, by agreeing to undergo drug treatment. All three times he washed out of the drug treatment program,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. “Even as he was pretending to be in drug treatment, he was dealing poisons to vulnerable unhoused people. This sentence is the result of such predatory behavior.”

Three failed drug treatment programs preceded years-long dealing operation

An investigation began in November 2023, with the Seattle Police Department, FBI, and DEA focusing on a drug trafficking organization dealing fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin in Seattle homeless encampments and in drug trafficking areas of the CID at locations such as 12th and Jackson, according to records filed in the case.

Some of the defendants were arrested with firearms. By use of a court-authorized wiretap, investigators collected evidence of the drug trafficking and made arrests and seizures throughout the investigation.

Law enforcement heard signs of violence on the calls and worked to intervene without alerting the targets of the investigation. In one call, Keodara discussed providing a pound of methamphetamine to the contact, indicating that he was not a small-time dealer.

“Mr. Keodara has had multiple chances to become a law-abiding citizen,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Seattle. “Instead, he chose to contribute to the fentanyl crisis plaguing our communities by preying on those made vulnerable by their addictions.”

Keodara was arrested in January 2025, when law enforcement seized 17 firearms and various quantities of controlled substances. On Jan. 21, Keodara pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.

“Keodara continued to commit crimes while in his 30s. He received his third DOSA (Drug Offender Sentencing Alternative) sentence in 2022 after committing numerous felony offenses, including identity theft, unlawful possession of a firearm, witness tampering, and conspiracy to commit witness tampering,” U.S. Attorney Casey Conzatti wrote to the court, in asking for a 90-month sentence. “This DOSA, like his first two, was revoked… While in the community, ostensibly engaging in drug treatment, Keodara was engaged in drug distribution.”

Keodara is the second defendant to be sentenced in the case. In February, 36-year-old Theodore Nation of Seattle was sentenced to 30 months in prison. Three other defendants are scheduled for sentencing in July, including Tommy Pham, 38, of Newcastle, Donfeuy Saephan, 55, of Seattle, and Sang Tran, 55, of Kent.

The investigation was led by the FBI, DEA, and Seattle Police Department, with significant assistance from the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, King County Sheriff’s Office, and the Tukwila Police Department.

Follow Jason Sutich on X. Send news tips here.