Everett man arrested 6 times for armed drug dealing sentenced to 10 years in prison

ANGOLA PRISON, LOUISIANA - OCTOBER 14, 2013: A prisoner's hands inside a punishment cell wing at Angola prison. The Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola, and nicknamed the "Alcatraz of the South" and "The Farm" is a maximum-security pri

A Snohomish County man will spend the next 10 years in prison after he was convicted for drug trafficking around Puget Sound. 

According to records filed in the case, between January 2020 and March 2022, 56-year-old Steven Eric Strauss was investigated and arrested for drug trafficking by multiple law enforcement agencies, including Bellevue, Lynnwood and Snohomish County. 

In January 2020, Strauss' Everett home was searched after he sold narcotics to a person working with law enforcement. Meth, heroin, fentanyl and a 9 mm handgun were seized in the search. Police also recovered more than $14,000 in cash. 

Then in March of 2021, he was stopped by Washington State Patrol in Seattle and troopers found meth, heroin fentanyl, marijuana and a rifle in the car. More than $27,000 in cash was also found. 

A month later, he sold heroin and meth to a person working with law enforcement. Bellevue Police seized meth, heroin, fentanyl, a stolen pistol, a second handgun and $34,000 in cash when they searched his car upon his arrest. 

In October of 2021, he was arrested in Seattle in a stolen trailer. During that arrest, meth, heroin, fentanyl and two firearms were seized. 

A month later, he was arrested for having a stolen disabled parking placard in his car. He also had heroin, meth, fentanyl and a short-barrel rifle on him at the time of his arrest. Lynnwood Police also sized over $31,000 in cash. 

In March 2022, Strauss was arrested in Seattle after police saw him "engage in hand-to-hand drug deals." 

Strauss has a criminal record dating back to the age of 18.

An Assistant U.S. Attorney said that his prior encounters with the criminal justice system "failed to deter or dissuade him from selling drugs and carrying firearms

At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge James L. Robart said Strauss "has the potential to return to what has been a life of crime…. I need to protect the community from that."