SEATTLE — A Lynnwood man was sentenced to 10 years in prison Thursday after being found to possess millions of dollars worth of fentanyl, heroin and firearms.
Jose Casablanca, 39, was arrested in July 2020 after an investigation found he had enough fentanyl to make over a million pills, according to court documents. He pleaded guilty in May to conspiracy to distributed controlled substances, possession of a machine gun and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, the Everett Daily Herald reported.
A Snohomish County Regional Drug Task Force detective was introduced to a man calling himself “Isaac” last March. “Isaac” was later identified as Casablanca, court documents said. The defendant called the detective, who asked to buy two ounces of heroin. The detective and a partner made the purchase from Casablanca and his co-conspirator, Jessie Cruz, the next day. Cruz was sentenced to seven years in prison in April.
The two detectives went on to buy methamphetamine and fentanyl pills in the next several months, court records said.
The detectives also bought guns from the defendants, including a fully automatic firearm classified as illegal, according to court papers. Casablanca had previously been convicted of felonies, which prohibited him from possessing firearms. Because of that, Cruz reportedly would transport the guns.
