Tukwila Motel Manager Admits to Running Drug Haven

TUKWILA, WA – Lakhvir Pawar, 41, of Burien, Washington, has admitted to turning the Boulevard Motel in Tukwila into a breeding ground for drug dealing and other criminal activity. Pawar pleaded guilty today to maintaining a drug-involved premises, a charge stemming from a massive federal investigation that shut down three motels last year.

According to court documents, Pawar, the manager of the Boulevard Motel on International Boulevard, knowingly profited from the sale of narcotics on the property between 2003 and 2013. The plea agreement details a systematic operation where Pawar actively directed customers to rooms where drugs were sold, skimming a cut from each transaction. He also reportedly charged drug distributors inflated rental rates, maximizing his profits from the illegal activity. During the seven-year period between 2007 and 2013, the Boulevard Motel was the site of 33 drug-related incidents, 27 assaults, and 11 robberies.

The investigation, led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) and the Tukwila Police Department, revealed a pattern of blatant disregard for the law. Federal authorities seized approximately $90,000 in cash during the August 2013 raid that shut down the Boulevard Motel, along with two other properties linked to Pawar and his relatives: the Everspring Inn on Aurora Avenue North in Seattle and the Rodeway Inn in SeaTac, Washington. While prosecutors have agreed not to pursue forfeiture of the Everspring Inn and Rodeway Inn at this time, they reserve the right to do so if new evidence of illegal activity surfaces.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, Pawar will be forced to forfeit his ownership interest in the Boulevard Motel. Prosecutors will recommend a prison sentence of no more than one year and one day, alongside a three-year period of supervised release during which he will be barred from owning, managing, or even working at any motel, including those owned by his family. However, Judge John C. Coughenour is not bound by this recommendation and could impose the maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment at Pawar’s sentencing hearing on February 28, 2014.

The breadth of the investigation is staggering, involving a multi-agency task force including the U.S. Marshals Service, Department of Homeland Security, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, Washington State Patrol, and numerous local police departments from Seattle, Auburn, Kent, Renton, Federal Way, and Port of Seattle. The Valley SWAT Team, King County Sheriff’s Office, Washington State Department of Corrections, and Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) also contributed to the operation.

Assistant United States Attorneys Justin Arnold, Jill Otake, and Richard Cohen are prosecuting the case. This guilty plea represents a significant victory in the ongoing effort to dismantle criminal enterprises operating under the guise of legitimate businesses, and a warning to others who prioritize profit over public safety. The case highlights the grim reality of how easily seemingly innocuous businesses can become hubs for dangerous and destructive activity.”