A Spokane man with a long record is headed back to federal prison for 15 years after authorities say he kept moving large amounts of fentanyl even while under court supervision.
According to federal prosecutors, the case kicked off when couriers dropped drugs at a Spokane Valley home. A later search of the residence turned up roughly half a kilogram of pressed fentanyl and a stack of evidence pointing to an active trafficking operation.
Sentence and plea
In a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Pete Serrano said U.S. District Judge Thomas O. Rice sentenced 35-year-old Robert Joseph McNabb on May 20 to 180 months in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release. McNabb had pleaded guilty to trafficking fentanyl while on federal supervision.
Prosecutors said the punishment reflects both the amount of fentanyl involved and McNabb’s prior criminal record.
What investigators found
According to court documents, investigators found messages on a courier’s cellphone that identified McNabb as the recipient of about a half-kilogram of fentanyl. The load had reportedly been exchanged for roughly $18,000, and surveillance tied the deliveries to a Spokane Valley residence.
When agents executed a search warrant at the home on October 7, 2025, they reported seizing about 450 grams of pressed fentanyl, a scale and unused baggies, a loaded firearm, U.S. currency, and McNabb’s identification. Investigators also say they found a pink backpack containing high school paperwork and determined that a 16-year-old girl was living in the basement.
“McNabb is a repeat offender, who, while under court supervision, continued to traffic poison to our community; he also preyed on a child,” Serrano said in the release.
Agency reaction
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Seattle Field Division shared the sentencing on X, saying McNabb “showed a blatant disregard for the law and for the safety of our community.”
As posted by DEA Seattle, the agency framed the case as part of a broader push to disrupt Mexico-based distribution networks and the courier routes that move fentanyl into Eastern Washington.
Background and legal implications
McNabb is no stranger to federal court. He was convicted of distributing methamphetamine in 2019 and received a five-year federal sentence. Prosecutors say he was released to federal supervision in March 2023, only to return to drug trafficking.
Because McNabb is a convicted felon, he was not legally allowed to possess a firearm. Officials noted that the loaded gun found in a bedroom figured prominently in the case filings.
The case is filed under docket number 2:25-CR-00165-TOR-1. After McNabb serves his 15-year prison term, he will remain on supervised release for another 10 years.
Regional context
Federal prosecutors and DEA agents have been stacking up major fentanyl cases in the Spokane area, pursuing traffickers linked to multi-state supply chains and handing down stiff sentences.
A May 2026 press release by the DEA highlighted a separate large-scale trafficking case in Eastern Washington that resulted in a 20-year sentence for another defendant, underscoring the broader enforcement surge across the region.
