Man convicted of 3 federal crimes related to selling fentanyl pills while armed in downtown Seattle
A 31-year-old Seattle man was convicted Thursday in the U.S. District Court in Seattle of three federal crimes related to selling fentanyl pills in downtown Seattle, U.S. Attorney Nick Brown announced.
Kendall Alston was arrested March 23 after Seattle Police Department officers saw him selling drugs on the street. Officers were surveilling the area of Third Avenue between Pike and Pine Streets as part of an emphasis patrol called “Operation New Day.”
The emphasis patrol was aimed at increasing public safety in the Pike/Pine corridor, which has become a hotspot in the city for drug sales and other crime.
According to case records and testimony at trial, an SPD officer at an observation point above the street saw a person in distinctive clothing making what appeared to be a hand-to-hand drug sale.
The officer returned to street level and saw the person, later identified as Alston, make another drug sale. Officers then moved in and took Alston into custody.
Alston had 244 blue pills that were later tested and found to contain fentanyl. Alston also had a loaded Hi-Point .45 caliber semi-automatic gun in his backpack.
“Mr. Alston was armed with a loaded handgun while dealing potentially deadly fentanyl pills in downtown Seattle,” said Brown. “We continue to work with our federal, state, and local partners to address the sense of lawlessness that has permeated our streets. Not every case is appropriate for federal prosecution, but where guns and drugs intersect, we are prepared to use our federal resources to hold offenders accountable.”
The jury deliberated for about three hours before finding Alston guilty of knowingly distributing fentanyl, possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Following those guilty verdicts, Alston pleaded guilty to two additional counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Those counts are connected to his March arrest in downtown Seattle with the gun, and a previous arrest in January for shoplifting in Bellevue, where he had a different gun.
Alston is prohibited from owning guns due to two felony convictions — a 2018 residential burglary conviction in Pierce County and a 2013 residential burglary conviction in King County.
According to the U.S. Attorney, distribution of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, and unlawful possession of a firearm are punishable by up to ten years in prison.
Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime is punishable by a consecutive five-year prison sentence on top of any sentence imposed on the other counts.
Alston is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 9.
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