A King County woman was sentenced to seven years in federal prison after authorities discovered a drug lab, firearms, and explosives inside an RV near Olallie State Park, Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller announced Friday.
Chandler Bennett, 30, pleaded guilty in October 2024 to possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute and unlawful possession of a machine gun.
Bennett and her partner, Braiden F. Wilson, were arrested following a May 12, 2024, shooting in King County.
U.S. District Judge Lauren King, who handed down the sentence, noted the seriousness of Bennett’s crimes. “You were taking deliveries of fentanyl at your mobile home,” she said. “These crimes were egregious. You distributed a large amount of dangerous drugs.”
According to court records, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) had been investigating Bennett and Wilson for trafficking drugs on the dark web when Wilson was shot.
King County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the RV and saw that it had surveillance cameras. When they requested access to footage to identify the shooter, Bennett refused. Law enforcement then secured a search warrant from a judge.
Inside the RV, officers found more than two and a half kilograms of fentanyl-laced pills, fentanyl powder, and a manual pill press. They also recovered 16 firearms, body armor, silencers, and ballistic shields.
Some of the weapons were made from 3D-printed parts, making them untraceable. Authorities also found destructive devices and literature on manufacturing explosives and converting firearms to fully automatic.
Further searches of two storage units tied to Bennett and Wilson uncovered two additional pill presses, mailing supplies, and more controlled substances.
Investigators seized over two kilograms of fentanyl-laced pills, nearly a kilogram of fentanyl powder, and more than three kilograms of methamphetamine. Computer and bank records showed Wilson distributed controlled substances under a dark web identity more than 2,000 times, earning over $287,000 in cryptocurrency.
Prosecutors argued that Bennett and Wilson’s drug operation put the community at risk, especially with the way they stored fentanyl and other substances.
“For the controlled substances Bennett and her co-defendant possessed in their residence, they placed parkgoers at risk,” prosecutors wrote. “For the controlled substances in the storage unit, they exposed other storage unit customers and facility workers to danger.”
Investigators found such high contamination levels in one storage unit that professional remediation was required before it could be used again.
King County Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall praised the deputies and investigators for dismantling the operation. “Because of the keen observation and perseverance of our patrol deputies, and the steadfast determination of our Gun Violence Reduction Unit, another criminal contributing to the fentanyl crisis is off the street and unable to put any more members of the community in harm’s way,” she said.
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