NEWS GLEAMS | Multistate Fentanyl Trafficking Effort Led by King County Family; Federal Court Upholds Burien Camping Ban

On Wednesday, Oct. 2, federal law enforcement officials in Washington, Georgia, Missouri, Texas, and Arizona announced indictments of 14 people who were involved in a multistate drug-trafficking effort. The indictments come after a two-year investigation of a fentanyl ring that was linked to four fatal fentanyl overdoses on the Lummi Nation reservation in September 2023.

“The significance of this case is that a family drug trafficking organization expanded from Seattle beyond Washington state to locations across the country,” said Richard A. Collodi, special agent in charge of the FBI Seattle field office, in a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington. “This group distributed more than 800,000 fentanyl pills throughout the United States, including in Arizona, Texas, Missouri, Montana, and Georgia. Together with our partners, this demonstrates the national impact of today’s operations by disrupting this source of supply.”

Five of those indicted come from the same family in King County and are facing a mixture of charges related to drug trafficking and money laundering. They include the apparent leader of the drug ring, Marquis Jackson, 31, who splits his time between Atlanta and Renton. He is the child of South Seattle violence prevention advocate Matelita “Marty” Jackson, who was the executive director of SE Network SafetyNet, a program of the Boys & Girls Clubs of King County. She is known for her work in community healing spaces and violence prevention, especially as it pertains to guns and gangs. She was indicted for money laundering and pleaded not guilty.

Other family members who face drug-trafficking charges include Marquis’ father, Mandel Jackson, 50, as well as sibling Markell Jackson, 21, and half-sibling Miracle Patu-Jackson, 22. Patu-Jackson is a fugitive who is presently on the run. The family is connected to a Seattle street gang called 44 Holy, which is related to the Crips, according to the indictment.

The other defendants of the drug-trafficking ring are:

• Edgar Valdez, 26, Phoenix, Arizona

• Keondre Jackson, 29, Wichita, Kansas

• Michael Young Jr., 43, Tacoma, Washington

• Sir-Terrique Devon Milam, 20, Federal Way, Washington

• Tyrell Lewis, 32, Federal Way, Washington (fugitive)

• Robert Johnson, 20, Renton, Washington

• Diyana Abraha, 22, Seattle (fugitive)

• Adean Batinga, 20, Burien, Washington

• Tianna Karastan, 21, Seattle (fugitive)

• Diallo Redd, 34, Tacoma (arrested in Montana on a Montana indictment)

• Chad Conti, 47, Covington, Washington

• Phillip Lamont Alexander, 48, Des Moines, Washington

Four additional people were arrested following criminal complaints for fentanyl distribution that came after the initial news broke. All are charged with possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute and may have associations with the overdose deaths on the Lummi Nation reservation. They were linked to the Jackson family through telephone communications and surveillance.

• Robert Bellair, 41, Ferndale, Washington

• Thomas J. Morris, 42, Bellingham, Washington

• Patrick James, 40, Bellingham, Washington

• Ronald Finkbonner, 50, Bellingham, Washington

“Over the course of the investigation law enforcement seized more than 846,000 fentanyl pills, nearly 7 kilograms of fentanyl powder, 7 kilograms of cocaine and 29 firearms,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington wrote in its press release. “They also seized more than $116,000 in cash.”

The Lummi Indian Business Council announced a state of emergency after overdose deaths on the Lummi reservation within four days in September 2023, leading to a multi-jurisdictional investigation. The local, state, and federal agencies that are involved in the case include the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Lummi Police Department, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Seattle Police Department, the King County Sheriff’s Office, the Whatcom Gang and Drug Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the U.S. Border Patrol Blaine Sector Targeting and Intelligence Division.

The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, under Judge Richard Jones, ruled on Sept. 25 that the City of Burien’s “Unlawful Public Camping” ordinance was constitutional and could remain intact. Jones’ decision comes six months after King County Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall and King County filed a legal complaint with the U.S. District Court in March 2024. Jones dismissed King County’s claims as “nebulous.”

Burien’s outdoor sleeping ban prohibits anyone from sleeping on any nonresidential public property — including streets, parks, or any other open area where Burien or governmental agencies have a property interest — between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. It also creates a buffer zone prohibiting anyone from sleeping within 500 feet of areas the Burien City Council has defined as “critical,” including libraries, day care centers, schools, and senior centers.

In King County’s lawsuit, the Sheriff’s Office stated its concerns that the exclusion zones may violate the Washington State Constitution because the zones are determined at the discretion of the city manager and can be changed at any time. It also held that the ordinance would require the office to enforce unconstitutional laws.

King County had announced in March that it would not enforce the ordinance, despite the fact that the City of Burien contracts with King County to provide safety services as the Burien Police Department. Despite the U.S. District Court decision, a countersuit filed by the City of Burien remains in effect, and it alleges that King County has failed to fulfill its contract obligations.

Former Burien City Councilmember Cydney Moore, who now leads the Burien Community Support Coalition, told KUOW that other lawsuits remain, and that even though King County’s lawsuit was dismissed, its questions related to constitutionality were not fully answered. She said, “There are still multiple lawsuits pending against the City of Burien, including a case filed on behalf of unhoused individuals themselves, who have been victims of Burien’s anti-homeless laws, and therefore have grounds to sue the city that the sheriff lacked, in this case.”

It remains to be seen how the topic of constitutionality will pan out, given national trends. In City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 6-3 that the Oregon city of Grants Pass could enforce an ordinance that banned public camping, as it did not violate the constitutional rights of the affected individuals.

The Duwamish River Community Coalition (DRCC) is seeking public feedback from community members who live or work around the Georgetown and South Park neighborhoods, in order to better understand concerns related to climate change, flood risk, air and allergies, extreme heat, wildfire smoke, and mental health. The survey is hosted in collaboration with the University of Washington and will help the organization understand climate impacts on the Duwamish Valley.

The survey, which is available in both English and Spanish, can be filled out in Google Forms.

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