A Lake City narcotics sweep ended with a black Dodge Charger on a tow truck and two people on their way to jail, after Seattle police say they seized $76,040 in cash and a sizable stash of drugs that included 324 grams of fentanyl.
Officers arrested a 33-year-old woman and a 41-year-old man after watching what they described as hand-to-hand drug deals from the Charger. The vehicle was impounded, later searched, and the pair were booked into King County Jail on suspicion of possession with intent to distribute, according to Seattle police.
Police account
Patrol officers first detained the duo on March 31 at about 2:45 p.m. in the 12500 block of 33rd Avenue Northeast after spotting suspected dealing from the Dodge Charger, according to the Seattle Police Department.
The Charger did not give up its secrets right away. Police impounded the car, then searched it on April 13. That is when officers reported finding $76,040 in cash, 324 grams of fentanyl, 81.7 grams of methamphetamine and 5 grams of crack cocaine. Detectives in the Narcotics Unit are now handling the case under Incident No. 2026-87890, the department said.
Linked to armed carjacking
Police say the same two suspects are also being looked at in connection with a recent armed carjacking in the area. Investigators are following up on leads and warned that more charges could be coming, according to the Seattle Police Department.
The initial March 31 stop played out without incident, the department noted, with officers securing and processing the vehicle before the April 13 search that produced the larger haul.
Why the seizure matters
Hundreds of grams of fentanyl can translate into thousands of potential doses, a scale that underscores how local dealing ties directly into the region’s overdose crisis. King County reports in its 2024 Overdose Fatality Review that Seattle accounts for roughly 56% of the county’s fatal overdoses and that fentanyl remains the leading substance in those deaths. That reality continues to shape the balance between enforcement and public-health strategies aimed at cutting overdose fatalities.
What is next
Detectives with SPD’s Narcotics Unit remain on the case, sorting through evidence and interviewing witnesses. The department says additional charges are possible as the investigation moves forward. For now, both suspects are in King County Jail on allegations of possession with intent to distribute, according to the Seattle Police Department.
Local trend
The Lake City bust is one of several recent cases where Seattle police have pulled in significant amounts of cash and fentanyl, signaling an ongoing focus on local supply lines. Earlier this year, Hoodline covered a downtown operation where officers again recovered fentanyl and cash, another downtown fentanyl bust.
