A significant figure in a South Sound-based drug trafficking operation linked to Aryan prison gangs was sentenced to over ten years in prison by the U.S. District Court in Tacoma. Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller announced that Joseph Hempel, aged 46 from Burien, Washington, received a 126-month sentence for his role as a high-volume drug redistributor within the organization led by Jesse James Bailey.
Hempel had previously pleaded guilty on March 29, 2024, to charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Chief U.S. District Judge David G. Estudillo commented on the case during sentencing: “The quantities you were involved in distributing were unimaginable…. It’s pretty amazing the amount of drugs we’re talking about.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Miller highlighted the scale of Hempel’s operations: “At various times on the wiretap law enforcement heard Mr. Hempel order as much as 25 pounds of methamphetamine and 20,000 fentanyl pills.” She added that such large distributions had widespread effects on the community.
The investigation revealed three interconnected drug trafficking rings operating under the Aryan Family/Omerta Drug Trafficking Organization umbrella. These rings were identified through an extensive 18-month wiretap investigation.
In March 2023, law enforcement conducted coordinated arrests involving more than 350 officers and ten SWAT teams across Washington and Arizona. The operation resulted in numerous seizures including firearms, substantial quantities of methamphetamine, fentanyl pills and powder, heroin, cocaine, and cash.
During this crackdown, authorities found over a thousand fentanyl pills along with other drugs at Hempel’s residence alongside firearms he was prohibited from possessing due to prior convictions for car theft and possession of stolen property.
Prosecutors emphasized the detrimental impact of such drug trafficking activities on community safety: “Hempel ordered and distributed large quantities…for redistributing it throughout the community,” they noted while requesting his sentence.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) initiative aimed at dismantling major criminal networks through collaboration among federal, state, and local agencies.
The FBI led this investigation with significant contributions from agencies like DEA, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Tacoma Police Department among others while prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Zach Dillon Max Shiner Jehiel Baer
