Feds bust fentanyl ring targeting Lummi Nation, other tribes in multiple states

SEATTLE — The Department of Justice arrested seventeen people in recent days connected to a fentanyl distribution ring that spans multiple states and targeted Native Americans, particularly the Lummi Nation.

Thirteen of the seventeen arrested were in Western Washington. Ten of those, are behind bars at the Federal Detention Center in SeaTac; three of them have posted bail and are out of jail.

Prosecutors say five of the people arrested were from a Seattle area family, and two brothers Marquis and Markell Jackson were the main leaders of the drug ring. The Jackson family, along with the other people arrested, are accused of distributing 846,000 fentanyl pills, 7 kilograms of powdered fentanyl and cocaine, $116,000 in cash, and 29 firearms.

“This callous drug trafficking organization stands accused of distributing quantities of fentanyl great enough to potentially kill nearly a million people. Which would fill Lumen Field more than 15 times over,” David Reames with the DEA in Seattle said.

United States Attorney Tessa Gorman said in a press conference on Thursday that tribal lands and Native Americans are huge targets for drug traffickers.

“This poison has harmed their children, their families, communities... and nowhere is that more felt than in our native communities,” Gorman said.

KIRO 7 spoke with the Lummi Nation about the recent bust. In September of 2023, four people died from fentanyl overdoses in four days, which prompted the Lummi Council to declare a state of emergency for the reservation.

“And one death to fentanyl overdose is just way too many for us at Lummi Nation,” Chairman Anthony Hillaire said.

Hillaire says they have put a lot of resources into combating the fentanyl crisis. Prevention, rehabilitation, and intervention are just some of the ways they are addressing the issue at hand.

“And one of the main priorities of the Lummi nation has been to build a secure withdrawal management and stabilization facility, otherwise known as detox, and so that is well underway at Lummi Nation,” Hillaire said.

While both the Department of Justice and the Lummi Nation are happy to see those contributing to the crisis behind bars, they say the fight against the dangerous drug is far from over.

“Our hearts are just with everybody involved and we are going to continue to do what we can to take a stand against this serious drug,” Hillaire said.

The Department of Justice tells KIRO 7 this remains an active investigation.

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