What federal prosecutors describe as a yearlong burglary circuit through Puget Sound pharmacies has landed two Seattle-area men in the middle of a 24-count federal indictment. The pair is accused of hitting 17 pharmacies from Kirkland to Chehalis, stealing thousands of doses of prescription narcotics and, investigators say, leaving enough physical and digital breadcrumbs to trace the break-ins back to them.
According to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice, Koumssa Wakgira, 44, of Seattle, and Juston Young, 42, of Renton, are charged in a 24-count indictment that includes conspiracy to commit burglaries involving controlled substances, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, 17 counts of burglary or attempted burglary, and five counts of possession with intent to distribute. Prosecutors say the alleged spree ran from May 2025 to March 2026 across King, Thurston, Lewis and Pierce counties. If convicted, some of the charges carry potential federal prison sentences measured in decades.
Local reporting and a federal criminal complaint spell out just how far the alleged pharmacy tour stretched. FOX 13 Seattle and the complaint list targets from downtown Seattle to Olympia and Chehalis, including Bob Johnson’s Pharmacy and Swedish Arnold in Seattle, Arow Pharmacy in Olympia, and additional locations in Lacey, Tacoma, Kirkland, Renton, SeaTac, Gig Harbor, Centralia and Chehalis. Court documents and reporting indicate some pharmacies were hit more than once, and that the size of the alleged haul varied from job to job.
How investigators say they connected the dots
Investigators told prosecutors they leaned on a mix of surveillance images, cellphone location data and a DNA profile from a glove left behind at an Olympia burglary to stitch the cases together. The criminal complaint filed in federal court lays out how phones associated with the two men were in close proximity to multiple pharmacies at the times of the break-ins, and how vehicles, clothing and tools seen on surveillance were later tied to the defendants through follow-up searches. Prosecutors write in the filing that the evidence points to a coordinated series of burglaries across the Puget Sound region, described in the complaint and related Department of Justice filings.
What police say they seized
Once investigators moved in, searches of the men’s homes and vehicles turned up what officials say was the physical payoff from the pharmacy hits, along with the tools used to pull them off. Reporting and court papers indicate that officers recovered thousands of prescription pills and an assortment of burglary gear. FOX 13 Seattle reports that investigators found 43 bags of prescription pills weighing about 5,415 grams at Wakgira’s home and 19 containers weighing about 1,177 grams at Young’s home, and that pry bars, bolt cutters and bent pickaxes were discovered in Wakgira’s vehicle. In at least one burglary, the complaint alleges, more than 24,000 doses of restricted medications were taken in a single hit.
Charges, penalties and next steps
The indictment centers on federal offenses that include burglary involving controlled substances and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, charges that can carry maximum penalties of decades in prison. Court records indicate Young was arraigned last month and remains in federal custody, while Wakgira was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service and made an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Seattle. The case is being prosecuted in the Western District of Washington and remains active as investigators and prosecutors prepare for additional court proceedings.
Authorities say the investigation pulled together the DEA Seattle Diversion Group, police in Olympia, Lacey and Renton, and the U.S. Marshals Service. Filings in the case ask that anyone with information about the burglaries contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office or their local law enforcement agency.
