A Seattle man, 56, was handed a five-year prison sentence today for drug trafficking armed with a handgun in downtown Seattle, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced. Cuong Quoc Cao, the convict, entered a guilty plea for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, marking the conclusion of "Operation New Day."
During the operation, authorities including the Seattle Police Department and the DEA targeted drug dealers at 12th and Jackson. Cao was caught on camera and personally observed selling drugs. The situation escalated when Cao fled the scene of an overdose, but he was later arrested, and police found a 9mm semi-automatic pistol and various drugs in his backpack. In a statement obtained by the U.S. Attorney's Office, U.S. District Judge James L. Robart remarked, “At 56 you should know better… We have someone who has absolutely no respect for the law…. We are not effectively dealing with these open-air drug situations.”
Cao was indicted in March 2022, and as his trial loomed in April 2024, he pleaded guilty. Serving as a capstone to the federal crackdown, the conviction was pursued by Assistant United States Attorneys Cecelia Gregson and Carolyn Forstein. While discussing sentencing recommendations, Gregson pointed to the potential community harm, “While the amount of fentanyl the defendant possessed with the intent to distribute is not substantial, the fact that he brazenly sold drugs and illegally packed a firearm to protect himself, however, are cause for great concern. A sentence of sixty months imprisonment provides a reasonable punishment for the defendant’s decision to traffic fentanyl – a drug which is poisoning our community - and provides a modicum of safety to the community through incapacitation. Following release from custody, the defendant should avail himself to the services coordinated by United States Probation, most importantly substance abuse treatment,” according to the same press release.
