A Grays Harbor County man, Gabriel Armas, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to two counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. The announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Armas faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison and could receive up to life in prison due to the amount of narcotics involved and his prior 2015 conviction for trafficking heroin and methamphetamine. Sentencing is scheduled for December 16, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle.
According to court documents, on November 14, 2023, Armas was discovered slumped over the wheel of a car in an Ocean Shores parking lot. When approached by law enforcement, he drove away at high speed. Officers ended their pursuit because of his reckless driving.
Armas’s vehicle became stuck on a bridge not designed for cars, which then collapsed. He left the scene but abandoned items later found by a drug-detecting dog, including baggies containing fentanyl pills, fentanyl powder, crystal methamphetamine, as well as identity and bank cards bearing his name.
Days later, Armas was located near where the car had been abandoned and booked into the Federal Detention Center for allegedly violating federal supervision conditions. On November 19, 2023, he was housed in the Special Housing Unit (SHU). The next morning his cellmate was found unresponsive and died despite lifesaving efforts; an autopsy determined the cause as acute intoxication from heroin, olanzapine, and mirtazapine.
On November 23, authorities discovered heroin hidden in Armas’ cell along with a note offering it for sale to inmates. More heroin was found weeks later concealed inside a pill bottle cap in his cell. On January 25, 2024, Armas admitted to another inmate that he sold heroin within the facility and that his cellmate had overdosed on it; he also stated he swallowed some heroin to hide it from staff after the incident.
Under the plea agreement terms both prosecution and defense will recommend a ten-year sentence; however Judge Settle is not obligated to follow this recommendation and may impose any lawful sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI with support from the Ocean Shores Police Department and Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant United States Attorney Max Shiner is prosecuting the case.
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