Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Seattle – The second of two defendants sought for possession of more than 7 kilos of fentanyl powder appeared today in U.S. District Court in Seattle, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Santana Sandoval, 21, appeared on a criminal complaint charging him with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. Co-Defendant Kevin Torres Velasquez, 45, was arrested April 11, 2025, and has been detained at the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac. Sandoval was arrested in the Western District of Virginia on April 24, 2025, and was delivered to the Western District of Washington today. He too remains detained at the federal detention center at SeaTac.
According to the criminal complaint, Sandoval came to the attention of law enforcement in early 2025 as someone distributing fentanyl in the King and Snohomish County areas. Law enforcement worked with a confidential source to purchase fentanyl from Sandoval.
Law enforcement traced Sandoval to an Everett apartment and on January 24, 2025, agents and officers from the Seattle Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) served a search warrant on the apartment. In addition to the 7 kilos+ of fentanyl powder, they found cocaine, methamphetamine, scales, and more than $12,000 in cash.
On the day of the search the men were arrested on state charges. They were released from the Snohomish County Jail, and law enforcement located them for the federal arrest weeks later.
The charges contained in the criminal complaint are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by the Seattle Police Department, DEA and HSI.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Cecelia Gregson.