King County man found with drug lab, explosives in RV near state park headed to prison
Feb 25, 2025, 6:44 PM | Updated: 7:12 pm
A King County man who was caught in his RV with a drug lab, firearms and explosives has been sentenced to eight years in prison, announced the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington via a news release on Tuesday.
A King County man who was caught in his RV with a drug lab, firearms and explosives has been sentenced to eight years in prison, announced the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington via a news release on Tuesday.
Braiden Wilson, 29, was sentenced for possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, unlawful possession of a machine gun and unlawful possession of destructive devices, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller.
The news release stated Wilson and his 30-year-old partner were arrested following a shooting in rural King County last May.
U.S. District Judge Lauren King called the crimes “egregious” during Tuesday’s sentencing hearing.
“Mr. Wilson used the dark web to advertise his potentially deadly wares, shipping fentanyl pills across the country,” Miller said via the release. “He further placed the lives of the community in danger by stockpiling a cache of weapons and explosives, which he stored adjacent to a state park frequented by the public.”
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Key details of investigation into King County man
According to the attorney’s office, citing records filed in the case, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) was looking into Wilson for dealing drugs on the dark web when King County Sheriff’s Office deputies were sent to the RV, parked near Olallie State Park, where Wilson was shot.
Deputies noticed the RV had surveillance cameras and asked to get access to the footage to find the assailant. However, the attorney’s office reported, Wilson’s partner refused to let officers inside so they retrieved a search warrant.
When police entered the RV, they found “a large cache of weapons as well as fentanyl powder, tablets containing fentanyl and sundry items associated with the manufacture of tablets, including a manual pill press,” the news release stated.
Officers found more than two and a half kilograms of fentanyl-laced pills and seized 16 firearms, body armor, silencers and ballistic shields, according to the attorney’s office. Police also found gun parts made from 3D printers which made them untraceable.
“There were multiple destructive devices and literature on the chemistry and manufacturing of explosives, as well as literature on how to convert firearms to fully automatic capability,” the news release stated.
Law enforcement also searched two storage units under Wilson and found more pill presses and controlled substances, along with mailing supplies.
The attorney’s office reported that officers also discovered computer and bank records that revealed Wilson distributed controlled substances through the dark web more than 2,000 times, raking in more than $287,000 in cryptocurrency.
According to the news release, Wilson pleaded guilty in October 2024.
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