⏱ 2 min read
SEATTLE – Leon Henderson, 34, will spend the next two decades in federal prison after a jury convicted him of flooding Seattle streets with fentanyl and illegally packing heat. Henderson received a 20-year sentence today after being found guilty in November of three counts of drug distribution, two firearms charges linked to the drug trade, and two counts of unlawful firearm possession.
Seattle Police first flagged Henderson in January 2023, followed by arrests in May and September. Each bust turned up over a thousand fentanyl pills – and twice, a loaded firearm. The three-day trial revealed the scope of his operation: over 18,000 fentanyl pills, 220 grams of fentanyl powder, and 700 grams of methamphetamine. Henderson was selling the pills for a buck apiece.
U.S. District Judge Jamal N. Whitehead didn’t mince words at sentencing. He noted Henderson knowingly targeted homeless addicts, pushing poison on a population least able to resist. “The numbers in this case speak volumes,” the judge said, adding Henderson’s actions had the potential to cause “18,000 potential overdoses in our community.”
Federal officials highlighted the case as a win for focused law enforcement in the city’s North Aurora neighborhood – a known hotspot. “This case exemplifies the effort federal law enforcement is making around crime hotspots,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. FBI Special Agent in Charge W. Mike Herrington emphasized Henderson’s repeat offenses, stating he “persisted in selling fentanyl…while illegally in possession of stolen, loaded firearms,” despite previous arrests.
RELATED: DC Gun Runner Gets 13+ Years
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Key Facts
- State: WA
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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