YAKIMA, Wash. – A Yakima man was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison on Tuesday after distributing meth and fentanyl across the Yakima Valley, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington.
Jesse Lee Johnson, 36, will spend five years on supervised release after the 120 month sentence.
Johnson’s codefendant, Ronald Lee Ralston, was sentenced over a month prior on Feb. 27 to 138 months in prison and five years of supervised release.
Court documents say the FBI discovered that Johnson and Ralston were distributing meth and fentanyl out of Ralston’s Selah home.
An FBI informant tried to purchase meth from the home on May 4, 2023. While there was no sale that day, the two were caught on camera discussing drug sales.
The informant returned on May 16, 2023 and purchased one pound of meth and 100 fentanyl pills for $2,000. Ralston said that the informant could get any amount of the two drugs with a 24-hour notice.
Following a search warrant on June 7, 2023, officials found a pound and a half of meth, other controlled substances and two firearms in a trailer on the property. In the home, officials found another firearm and a half-pound of meth.
“The FBI and our partners are committed to removing deadly drugs from Washington state, which are so often accompanied by violent crime and addiction,” said Special Agent Richard Collodi, who is in charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “This sentence should serve as a reminder that we will hold drug traffickers accountable and that these crimes have consequences.”
