WA man gets 13 years for gang-linked drug trafficking

TACOMA, Wash. - A Renton, Washington man was sentenced to 13 years in prison for his involvement in a drug trafficking operation linked to Aryan prison gangs, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Washington announced Thursday.

Shawn Ellis, 32, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Tacoma following his arrest in March 2023 after a two-year investigation.

Federal agents discovered buckets filled with fentanyl pills and kilos of methamphetamine in Ellis's car, along with four firearms, including a machine gun.

"We’re talking about a significant amount of controlled substances," said Chief U.S. District Judge David G. Estudillo at the sentencing, noting the community's concern over the firearms.

Court records indicate that Ellis was a prolific redistributor of drugs, obtaining large quantities from a drug conspiracy branch and selling them for profit. At the time of his arrest, agents seized fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine and fake Xanax pills.

Ellis had four guns in his car, including a loaded pistol, an SK-15 rifle hidden in a violin case, a shotgun and another loaded pistol. Body armor was also found in the vehicle.

In a storage shed controlled by Ellis, authorities found five additional firearms, a large amount of ammunition, more body armor and a homemade silencer. The shed also contained cash, jewelry, precious metals, coins and other collectibles, believed to be proceeds from drug trafficking.

Ellis, who has two prior felony drug convictions, is prohibited from possessing firearms. Prosecutors had requested a 15-year sentence, citing the danger Ellis posed to the community due to his possession of firearms and a silencer.

(U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Washington)

The investigation led to two dozen arrests on federal charges on March 22, 2023, involving ten SWAT teams and over 350 law enforcement officers. Authorities seized 177 firearms, more than ten kilos of methamphetamine, 11 kilos of fentanyl pills, over a kilo of fentanyl powder, three kilos of heroin and more than $330,000 in cash from 18 locations in Washington and Arizona.

Earlier in the investigation, law enforcement seized 830,000 fentanyl pills, 5.5 pounds of fentanyl powder, 223 pounds of methamphetamine, 3.5 pounds of heroin, five pounds of cocaine, $388,000 in cash and 48 firearms.

The top leader of the drug trafficking ring, Jesse Bailey, is scheduled for sentencing on June 13, with his wife and co-conspirator, Candace Bailey, set for sentencing on May 16.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation, which aims to dismantle high-level drug traffickers and criminal organizations.

The investigation was led by the FBI, with assistance from the DEA, Homeland Security Investigations and several local law enforcement agencies, including the Tacoma Police Department and the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.

The Source: Information in this story came from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Washington.