Federal judges hand down prison terms to 3 western WA drug traffickers

Three Seattle-area men were sentenced to lengthy prison sentences in October due to their convictions for drug trafficking and firearms violations.

The longest sentence was given to 36-year-old Anthony Raymond Dodd, who received a 10-year sentence for his convictions of possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced.

At Dodd’s sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge John H. Chun highlighted the extreme severity of his offenses due to the dangers of fentanyl in the community and Dodd’s possession of a firearm while under Department of Corrections custody at the time of his offense.

Gang-affiliated Tacoma man sentenced for drug trafficking

In Tacoma, Philip Boorkman was sentenced to six years in prison for his role as a drug trafficker with connections to an Aryan Family prison gang. Boorkman was indicted in March 2023 and later pleaded guilty in January 2025.

“This is a serious offense. The amount of damage it does to the community is probably immeasurable in terms of lives lost and all of the ripple effects from people who are addicted,” Chief Judge David Estudillo said at the Oct. 3 sentencing hearing.

In asking for a seven-year prison sentence, prosecutors wrote to the court, “Boorkman was a trusted member of a large distribution network responsible for distributing hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine and hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills. Based on Boorkman’s trusted role in the organization, there is no question that he understood the devastating impact these drugs were having on the community.”

Third man sentenced to years in prison for drug, gun charges

The final prison sentence was handed to 30-year-old Tacoma resident Marquise Tolbert, who was sentenced to 39 months on Oct. 1 for drug trafficking and illegal firearms possession.

Several law enforcement units investigated a drug trafficking organization when Tolbert and his co-conspirators were heard discussing a shoot-out in Federal Way on a wiretap.

Investigators then worked to identify the suspects who were in possession of and using firearms as part of their criminal activities.

Tolbert had discussed his plans to purchase a Ruger firearm from another member of the conspiracy.

On the same day he bought the gun, law enforcement surveilled Tolbert and followed him to his residence before arresting him and securing the firearm.

Before the investigation, Tolbert was involved in a fatal shootout at 3rd Avenue and Pine Street in downtown Seattle, which killed one woman and injured seven other bystanders.

Tolbert was acquitted in state court on the murder and assault charges, but was convicted of illegal firearms possession.

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