SEATTLE, Wash. – Three men who led a massive drug ring across northwest Washington have been sentenced.
In a statement, U.S. Attorney Nick Brown said that ringleader Bradley Woolard was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Woolard was convicted of purchasing fentanyl powder from China, processing them into pills, and distributing them across Snohomish, Skagit, and Whatcom Counties.
Prosecutors added that Woolard used the profits to get treatment for his own addictions at resorts in Costa Rica and Mexico.
The investigation also uncovered over $1 million in cash, more than 2.5 million fentanyl pills, and dozens of firearms from a remote location in Snohomish County.
Brown added that Woolard threatened to harm others involved in the case following his arrest.
Court documents show that Woolard learned how to make the pills through the Dark Web and later recruited Anthony Pelayo to help him make and distribute more.
Pelayo was sentenced to 15 years behind bars, while top distributor Jerome Isham get a 10 year sentence.