Seattle man arrested twice in 1 month for selling fentanyl sentenced to 4 years in prison

SEATTLE - A Seattle man arrested twice in one month for selling fentanyl was sentenced to four years in prison, U.S. Attorney Nick Brown announced Wednesday.

The U.S. District Court in Seattle sentenced 37-year-old Joseph Johnson to the four years, followed by three years of supervised release. Johnson was found guilty of possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute, and was federally prosecuted as part of Seattle's Operation New Day.

"We are committed to prosecuting appropriate federal cases from the efforts to stop drug trafficking on Third Avenue and in the International District," said Brown. "In this case, Mr. Johnson did not learn from his first arrest in the International District and was arrested a second time, less than a month later, selling fentanyl at 3rd and Pike. In both instances he was armed with semi-automatic pistols. Such a case is appropriate for federal sanctions."

The U.S. Attorney's Office (USAO) said Johnson was arrested Feb. 4, 2022, after an undercover officer bought fentanyl pills from him near 12th and Jackson. Johnson was arrested, and police found more fentanyl pills, $165 in cash and a handgun on him.

Johnson was released from custody, and before charges could be filed, he was arrested again on March 2, 2022.

According to USAO, police arrested Johnson after seeing him sell pills to someone. During his arrest, officers found 184 fentanyl pills, $1,100 in cash and another loaded handgun.

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Operation New Day is an effort by Seattle Police and federal agencies to remove open air drug markets in hotspots around the city.