A Whatcom County resident, Stephan Charlot, 29, was arraigned on charges of distributing fentanyl on Lummi Nation tribal land. The indictment follows his arrest by the Lummi Nation Police on June 21, 2025, after a fatal overdose involving another member of the Lummi Nation on May 25, 2025. Charlot entered a plea of not guilty in federal court. His trial before U.S. District Judge Kymberly K. Evanson is set for April 6, 2026.
According to court records, emergency personnel responded to a home on the Lummi Nation in Bellingham shortly after midnight and found an adult woman unresponsive. Attempts to revive her were unsuccessful.
Investigators allege that Charlot supplied the fentanyl consumed by the victim. Burned foil paper and Narcan doses were found at the scene. A forensic interview with the victim’s young child revealed that her mother began shaking and asked her daughter to “Hold her.” The child said she believed her mother died when she stopped shaking.
Law enforcement used information from the victim’s phone to identify another individual who had purchased fentanyl from Charlot and brought it to the residence where both used it together. Cell phone evidence indicated this was not Charlot’s first time selling fentanyl.
Charlot was taken into federal custody on February 3, 2026, following multiple prior tribal charges related to narcotics distribution and outstanding warrants for failing to appear in court. He had been held in tribal custody since his initial arrest and was indicted by a grand jury on February 4, 2026.
Officials emphasize that “The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
The investigation involved both the Lummi Nation Police Department and the FBI Northwestern Washington Safe Trails Task Force.
Assistant United States Attorney Celia Lee is prosecuting the case; she also serves as Tribal Liaison for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Western District of Washington.
