Spanaway man sentenced to 12 years in prison for leadership role in drug ring

A man from Spanaway was sentenced to more than a decade in prison for his leadership role in a drug distribution ring selling fentanyl and methamphetamine in Western Washington, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington reported, via a news release Friday.

Sean Michael Moinette, 46, will serve 12 years in prison following his sentencing in the U.S. District Court in Tacoma, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa Gorman.

According to Gorman, Moinette had been in custody since March 2023 in connection with the arrest of over two dozen conspirators, with several tied to the Aryan prison gang.

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The attorney’s office, citing records filed in the case, stated Moinette was identified as a mid-level manager of a drug distribution cell tied to the Aryan Family and Omerta prison gangs. An investigation revealed he was buying large quantities of methamphetamine, fentanyl powder and fentanyl-laced pills multiple times per week. According to records, Moinette continued to distribute the fentanyl powder even after a discussion with his supplier that customers were “dropping like flies.”

“This defendant was deeply involved in distributing drugs, arranging couriers, and seeking various sources of supply,” Gorman said, via the news release. “But when confronted with the information that his fentanyl was too strong and causing overdoses, he did not skip a beat and continued to scheme about moving his poison in our community.”

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The attorney’s office added Moinette also discussed using women as “live shipping containers” to transport fentanyl out of the state.

“Talking about using mules and transportation of drugs through airplanes up to Alaska … It’s hard to believe that’s just talk,” Chief U.S. District Judge David G. Estudillo said at the sentencing hearing.

Police arrested members of the drug distribution conspiracy on March 22, 2023. The takedown involved 10 SWAT teams and more than 350 law enforcement officers. On that day alone, the attorney’s office said, police seized 177 firearms, more than 10 kilos of methamphetamine, 11 kilos of fentanyl pills and more than a kilo of fentanyl powder, three kilos of heroin and more than $330,000 in cash from 18 locations in Washington and Arizona.

Attorneys added those seizures are in addition to the estimated 223 pounds of methamphetamine, 830,000 fentanyl pills, multiple-pound quantities of fentanyl powder, cocaine, heroin, marijuana, $338,000 of suspected drug proceeds and 48 firearms law enforcement seized during the two-year investigation.

Moinette, according to the news release, is the eighth member of the drug conspiracy to be sentenced.

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Julia Dallas is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read her stories here. Follow Julia on X here and email her here.