A 38-year-old Seattle man was sentenced to seven years in prison on Wednesday for distributing fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Nick Brown said.
Ricky Chavez Hernandez was out on bail from a King County Superior drug case when officials said he sold large amounts of fentanyl to a law enforcement employee.
During a drug buy in April 2021, Hernandez sold a quarter pound of fentanyl for $8,500 after a confidential source working with federal agents set up the buy from an associate of Hernandez, which officials said court records stated. He also tried to sell a pill press and fentanyl pills.
Officials said, "Analysis of the fentanyl Hernandez sold showed it contained not only fentanyl but an animal tranquilizer."
During a second buy, Hernandez sold fentanyl to the informant, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Officials said on May 27, 2021, agents arrested Hernandez after a third drug deal.
During a search of Hernandez's home, agents found a mixer that was used for cutting fentanyl and other substances, drug scales, and drug trafficking equipment, according to a release from the U.S attorney.
Authorities said Hernandez engaged in drug trafficking while on bail for charges related to drug trafficking.
During a search of his home in 2019, two firearms, fentanyl powder, heroin, and fentanyl pills were recovered, along with methamphetamine, cocaine, and other tools used in drug distribution.
Hernandez "was mixing pure powdered fentanyl with various other substances at his house where his mother, girlfriend, and infant daughter lived. Mixing drugs with the lethality of fentanyl - which can kill through air exposure alone - is dangerous enough. Doing so with an infant in the house indicates exceptional recklessness regarding the health risks to others," prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memo.
When Hernandez is released from prison, he will be on federal supervised release for three years.
