Kilp Gets 14 Years for Fentanyl Flood

TACOMA, WA – Yehoshua Kilp, 39, is headed for a long stretch behind bars. The leader of a drug distribution cell connected to Aryan prison gangs was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 14 years in prison, Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller announced. Kilp’s network pumped hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine, massive quantities of heroin, and hundreds of thousands of deadly fentanyl pills onto the streets.

The two-year investigation revealed a chilling disregard for human life. Chief U.S. District Judge David G. Estudillo, delivering the sentence, didn’t mince words: “The amount of controlled substances we are talking about are mind-boggling… There were discussions about particularly potent batches of fentanyl that was possibly leading to overdoses and yet you kept going.” Kilp wasn’t just moving poison; he was aware of the devastation it caused and continued anyway.

According to court records, Kilp’s criminal activity began at age 14, and he’s been a persistent problem ever since. Even while incarcerated on state charges, Kilp continued to direct his drug operation, utilizing co-defendant Sara Thompson as his proxy for major narcotics deals. Thompson previously received a seven-year sentence in January 2025. Law enforcement seized a staggering 44 kilograms of methamphetamine, over 4 kilograms of fentanyl-laced pills, cocaine, and heroin from an Airbnb where Kilp was staying in August 2022.

What’s truly disturbing is Kilp’s reaction to reports of overdoses linked to his fentanyl. Instead of halting distribution, he and his co-conspirators discussed diluting the fentanyl and wrapping it in extra layers to protect their body packers – the individuals smuggling the drugs internally. Kilp also faced charges in Arizona for laundering drug money back to his Mexican suppliers. He pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering on March 12, 2025, resolving both the Washington and Arizona cases.

The takedown of Kilp’s operation was a massive undertaking. On March 22, 2023, two dozen arrests were made on federal charges, involving ten SWAT teams and over 350 law enforcement officers. The coordinated raid yielded 177 firearms, more than ten kilos of methamphetamine, 11 kilos of fentanyl pills, a kilo of fentanyl powder, three kilos of heroin, and over $330,000 in cash from eighteen locations in Washington and Arizona. Earlier seizures uncovered an additional 830,000 fentanyl pills, 5.5 pounds of fentanyl powder, 223 pounds of methamphetamine, 3.5 pounds of heroin, 5 pounds of cocaine, $388,000 in cash, and 48 firearms.

Kilp was considered second-in-command to Jesse Bailey, the top leader of the drug trafficking ring, who received a 17.5-year sentence in July. Prosecutors recommended a 15-year sentence for Kilp, with five years of supervised release, citing his leadership of a vast network responsible for moving immense quantities of drugs. Judge Estudillo agreed, ordering Kilp to serve five years of supervised release following his prison term. This case was prosecuted as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), a multi-agency effort to dismantle major drug trafficking organizations.