A Tacoma man who was arrested in a hotel room with as much as $200,000 worth of methamphetamine pills, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to ten years in prison, announced Acting United States Attorney Annette L. Hayes. KYLE ANDREW EVERHART, 28, was convicted at trial of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute in September 2014. The jury determined the quantity of the drug as part of its verdict, which by law triggered a ten year mandatory minimum sentence. At sentencing U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle noted that methamphetamine is “highly addictive” and a “poison.”
According to records filed in the case, EVERHART came to the attention of law enforcement in 2013, in connection with a drug distribution ring that moved as much as $1.2 million in drug proceeds through bank accounts since 2010. A search warrant executed in June 2013, resulted in the seizure of 4,700 MDMA pills, nearly a half a pound of cocaine, approximately 1,270 pills of oxycodone, and about 3 pounds of marijuana. Law enforcement officers also found a loaded Ruger semi-automatic handgun in the glove box of EVERHART ’s car. EVERHART was prosecuted in Pierce County Superior Court in connection with that conduct and was sentenced to a deferred jail term. In April 2014, he was arrested in a Tacoma hotel with two large bags of methamphetamine worth an estimated $100,000 to $200,000. Possession of those drugs was the subject of the federal prosecution.
The case was investigated by the South Sound Gang Task Force (SSGTF). The SSGTF is composed of members of the FBI Seattle Division, Lakewood and Tacoma police departments, the Washington State Patrol, the Washington State Department of Corrections, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jerrod Patterson and Rebecca Cohen. Press contact for the U.S. Attorney’s Office is Emily Langlie at (206) 553-4110 or Emily.Langlie@usdoj.gov.
