Federal Way man sentenced to ten years in prison.
Published 8:30 am Wednesday, August 12, 2026
A lengthy wire-tap investigation uncovered a wide-ranging drug distribution network that had been involved in Seattle’s International District and nearby homeless encampments has led to a Federal Way man going to prison.
It was announced Aug. 3 that Octavio Salazar Palma of Federal Way had been arrested in May 2025 and was then sentenced to ten years in prison, according to a news release from the US Department of Justice.
“You were a leader in the drug conspiracy, you were the source of an extraordinary amount of drugs in our community…. Despite multiple seizures by law enforcement you did not stop, only the arrest made you stop,” said U.S. District Judge Tana Lin at the sentencing hearing.
In March 2025, law enforcement had seized 100 pounds of methamphetamine, 111 kilos of cocaine, 19 kilos of fentanyl powder, 250,000 fentanyl pills and four kilos of heroin. The narcotics have a street value of nearly $3 million.
“This case began with officers on the street working their way up the supply chain until prosecutors had enough evidence to get a court approved wiretap,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. “The wiretap allowed us to identify the leaders, and more importantly, interdict drug shipments before they hit our streets. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is keenly aware of the law enforcement problems facing the International District and is committed to doing all we can to address them.”
On May 29, 2025, law enforcement executed 16 search warrants in Federal Way, Vancouver, Everett, Pacific, Tukwila, Kent, Issaquah, Seattle, Woodlake, California and Beaverton, Oregon. Investigators seized more than seven kilograms of cocaine, 18 kilograms of methamphetamine, more than 57,000 fentanyl pills, and 17 firearms. They also seized more than $353,000 in cash.
Salazar Palma pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to engage in money laundering on April 15, 2026.
The case revealed that Salazar Palma’s drug trafficking organization had targeted “some of Seattle’s most vulnerable, living in encampments in ‘The Jungle’,” according to Robert A. Saccone, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division.
“Today’s sentence and the seizure of massive amounts of fentanyl, meth, and cocaine demonstrate DEA’s commitment to dismantling these criminal networks along with our federal, state, and local partners. Through our Fentanyl Free America, we are disrupting the fentanyl supply chain, reducing its availability, and protecting American lives,” said Saccone.
Following his time in prison, Salazar Palma will be on four years of supervised release.
