Two men from the Seattle area have been sentenced to six years in prison for their roles in a violent drug trafficking organization, according to an announcement by Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Khaliil Ahmed, also known as “Bossup,” 27, received a 72-month sentence for two counts of illegally possessing firearms. Yohannes Wondimagegnehu, also known as “Jon,” 36, was sentenced to 72 months for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
U.S. District Judge John H. Chun addressed both defendants during sentencing, stating, “These are serious offenses.” To Ahmed specifically, Judge Chun said, “These offenses carry a maximum of 15 years – serious stuff.” Both men will serve three years of supervised release after completing their prison terms.
A year-long investigation led law enforcement to seize more than 19 kilograms of fentanyl, 12 firearms, and over $130,000 in cash. During an arrest operation targeting the group in October 2024, authorities confiscated more than 50 firearms—including fully automatic weapons and handguns with Glock switches—thousands of rounds of ammunition (including high-capacity drum magazines and armor-piercing rounds), several hundred thousand dollars in bulk cash and jewelry, one kilogram of fentanyl, and four kilograms of cocaine.
Ahmed was identified as a member of the drug trafficking conspiracy based out of Kent, Washington. One charge against him relates to firearms he possessed on August 20, 2023 during a fatal shooting at a hookah bar in South Seattle where Ahmed was injured and three others were killed. He was also involved in another shooting on May 4, 2024 at an apartment in the First Hill neighborhood; surveillance video captured him pointing a gun at the victim. Due to a prior conviction from 2022 for illegally possessing and publicly discharging a firearm during a drive-by shooting, Ahmed is prohibited from owning firearms. When search warrants were executed at his residence during this case’s investigation, two additional Glock firearms were seized.
Wondimagegnehu played another role within the conspiracy by helping staff an apartment near Seattle’s University District that served as a known location for drug distribution. In June 2024 one leader of the group was fatally shot at that site; despite this event—which remains under investigation—Wondimagegnehu continued distributing drugs there afterward.
On October 30, 2024 law enforcement searched Wondimagegnehu’s home and found eight firearms along with various narcotics and proceeds from drug sales; they also recovered a money counting machine used for handling these proceeds.
In total fourteen people have been arrested as part of this organization; these two are the first to be sentenced while seven others have pleaded guilty and await sentencing hearings later this year. One individual remains at large while trial proceedings for lead defendant Ali Kuyateh (“Pops”), age fifty from Seattle, are expected to continue into spring next year.
The case falls under an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation which focuses on identifying and dismantling major criminal organizations through coordinated efforts between multiple agencies using intelligence-driven approaches. More information about OCDETF can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF .
The investigation involved Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) alongside numerous other local and federal agencies including Seattle Police Department (SPD), Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Washington State Patrol (WSP), FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF), U.S Customs & Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations & Air/Marine Operations; U.S Border Patrol; King County Sheriff’s Office; Bellevue Police Department; U.S Marshals Service (USMS); Everett Police Department; Renton Police Department; U.S Food & Drug Administration (FDA); Washington State National Guard; Washington State Gambling Commission; Yakima County Law Enforcement Against Drugs Narcotics & Gang Task Force; Northwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program.
Assistant United States Attorneys Michelle Jensen and Joseph Silvio are prosecuting the case.
