A Venezuelan national, Sebastian Velasquez-Perez, appeared in U.S. District Court in Seattle after being arrested in Federal Way, Washington, with a substantial quantity of suspected drugs. Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller announced that Velasquez-Perez was apprehended at St Francis Hospital following treatment for a drug overdose. He is currently held in federal detention pending a hearing set for March 17, 2025.
According to the criminal complaint, police responded to a call on March 8, 2025, from staff at a Federal Way motel who found Velasquez-Perez unresponsive in his room. The staff administered two doses of NARCAN and performed CPR before transporting him to the hospital. Law enforcement subsequently obtained a court order to search the room.
Inside the motel room, authorities seized five bags containing approximately 3.2 kilograms of methamphetamine; 12 bags of an unidentified powdery substance awaiting testing as a possible controlled substance; five bags containing around 5,000 fentanyl pills; and two bags of black tar believed to be heroin. Additional items found included three cellphones, a digital scale with drug residue, and nearly $8,000 in cash.
No documentation was found indicating that Velasquez-Perez had legal status to be present in the United States.
The investigation is being conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI), and the Valley Narcotics Enforcement Team (VNET).
