Spokane, Washington – Acting United States Attorney Richard R. Barker announced the sentencing of David Velasquez Jr., aged 32, to 200 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. In addition to the prison term, United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice imposed five years of supervised release.
Court documents and information from the sentencing hearing revealed that in November 2022, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) identified Velasquez as a major supplier of illegal drugs in Eastern Washington. Investigations showed that Velasquez met with David Fulmer multiple times in Utah to facilitate drug shipments from Arizona to Eastern Washington. During each meeting, Velasquez provided Fulmer with at least 10,000 fentanyl-laced pills. Fulmer was later arrested and sentenced on drug trafficking charges.
On September 19, 2023, a federal arrest warrant was issued for Velasquez. His phone was tracked to Iowa on October 13, 2023, where he was stopped while driving a truck near Dallas County. Authorities discovered and seized 39,095 fentanyl pills hidden in the truck’s tailgate along with two loaded handguns in the glove compartment and another under the rear seat.
“Fentanyl is a deadly drug that continues to devastate communities across Eastern Washington and the nation,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Barker. “Mr. Velasquez trafficked tens of thousands of fentanyl-laced pills into our region, putting numerous lives at risk. My office will continue to hold drug traffickers accountable, and we are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to keep Eastern Washington communities safe.”
“Mr. Velasquez was the source of large amounts of Fentanyl flowing into the Spokane area,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Seattle field office. “Knowing this poison can easily kill its users, countless lives may have been saved by taking him off the streets."
The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Nowles Heinrich and Patrick J. Cashman.
