TACOMA — Tacoma police seized a large collection of narcotics with a street value of about $625,000 in an investigation of an alleged narcotics dealer that ended Nov. 14, according to a news release.
The confiscated drugs included 25 pounds of fentanyl powder, 9,500 fentanyl pills, 2.3 pounds of methamphetamine and about 1/3 pound of crack cocaine, according to the release. Investigators also seized five guns, one of which was reported stolen.
The suspect allegedly specialized in selling fentanyl, methamphetamine and crack cocaine in Tacoma, primarily along the Puyallup Avenue corridor, according to the news release.
“This investigation and subsequent arrest represent a significant victory in addressing the opioid and fentanyl crisis while mitigating gun-violence associated with narcotics trafficking,” the release said.
The suspect, a 40-year-old man with previous convictions, was charged in Pierce County Superior Court on Nov. 15 with multiple counts, including unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and unlawful possession of a firearm, according to charging documents. He posted $25,000 bail and was released from jail Monday, court records show.
Police reports contained in the charging documents say that officers obtained search warrants for the suspect’s apartment in Tacoma, an apartment in Milton where his wife and children live, a vehicle and his person.
On Nov. 14, officers arrived at the suspect’s Tacoma apartment near the Tacoma Dome to serve the warrant and approached the defendant when he came outside and began walking toward his car, carrying a black backpack on his shoulder.
He began running and threw the backpack over a nearby bridge, court records show. Officers retrieved the backpack and found several thousand pills and a large amount of suspected fentanyl powder inside, along with $1,000 cash and a scale.
They found more drugs and a total of five firearms after searching the suspect’s apartment and car and the Milton apartment, records show.
