A 36-year-old man convicted of drug offenses involving two Burien apartments was sentenced to 20 months in prison on Sept. 18, less than the three years sought by King County prosecutors.
Edman Gustavo Banegas Ramos was sentenced on four felony counts involving fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine. King County Superior Court Judge Matthew Lapin also ordered 12 months of community custody and credit for time served, according to sentencing minutes.
As we previously reported, on May 30, 2024, the King County Sheriff’s deputies recovered 22,788 fentanyl pills and 19 pounds of fentanyl powder across the two apartments. Investigators also recovered 263.6 grams of methamphetamine, 615.6 grams of cocaine and 156.8 grams of crack cocaine.
Deputies had conducted surveillance on Banegas Ramos at both apartments, prosecutors said.
A jury found him guilty Aug. 20 of three counts of possession with intent to manufacture or deliver, one each involving fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine, according to prosecutors and court records.
Jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict on a separate charge of manufacturing fentanyl. After prosecutors said they would retry that charge, Banegas Ramos agreed to plead guilty. He entered the plea Sept. 18, before sentencing.
The jury also found an aggravating factor on the fentanyl possession count, and his guilty plea included an aggravating factor on the manufacturing count, according to the prosecution’s presentence statement. Prosecutors cited those factors in seeking 36 months in prison on each fentanyl count, with all sentences served at the same time.
Banegas Ramos had no criminal history, according to the prosecutor’s office. The judge imposed 20 months on each of the four counts, for a total prison term of 20 months.
Three other defendants in the case were previously convicted, prosecutors said.
Photos
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