Emmanuel Xaiver Hunter, a 25-year-old Washington man, has been sentenced to 78 months (six-and-a-half years) in federal prison for drug trafficking and possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Hunter was identified as a drug trafficker in October 2022 and was arrested the following month. According to court records, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), working in conjunction with the Auburn Police Department, conducted an investigation that discovered a large-scale drug trafficking operation.
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When officers searched Hunter’s residence and vehicles, they seized 99,000 fentanyl pills along with five firearms, one of which had been reported stolen.
U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle noted during the sentencing hearing that Hunter possessed a substantial amount of fentanyl, which poses a significant risk to the community.
Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid that is 50-100 times stronger than morphine and has been responsible for a surge in overdose deaths across the country.
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The DEA Tacoma Resident Office investigated the case with assistance from the and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Caitlin Baunsgard and Ye-Ting Woo.
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