Johnny Elias, Fentanyl Trafficking, Washington 2025

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Auburn Man Sentenced to 11 Years for Fentanyl Pill Manufacturing

SEATTLE – In a shocking turn of events, 59-year-old Johnny Elias was sentenced to 11 years in prison for his fentanyl trafficking activities. Elias, a former counselor to at-risk youth, was arrested in November 2024 and was found to have converted his garage into a fentanyl pill manufacturing lab.

According to records filed in the case, Elias set up a company called ‘Bodacious Vitamins LLC’ out of his Auburn address. Using some of his drug dealing proceeds, Elias purchased an industrial grade pill press for over $16,000. On November 18, 2024, Drug Enforcement Administration agents raided Elias’s residence and found the garage had been converted to a pill manufacturing lab.

The investigation revealed that Elias was manufacturing potentially deadly fentanyl pills, which could have yielded over 300,000 lethal doses. Elias also had Narcan – an overdose reversal medication – indicating he knew the danger of the fentanyl he was processing into pills.

At today’s sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge James L. Robart said, “You were a counselor to at-risk youth and at the same time were engaged in a practice that was killing one to two young people each day…. These are not recreational drugs. They are basically – in the case of fentanyl – a murder weapon.”

Elias pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance with intent to manufacture and distribute, unlawful possession of firearms, and money laundering. He will also be on four years of supervised release following sentencing.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Max Shiner.

Auburn man sentenced to 11 years in prison for fentanyl trafficking and manufacturing. Elias was found to have converted his garage into a fentanyl pill manufacturing lab and was manufacturing potentially deadly fentanyl pills.