Two Seattle-area men have each been sentenced to six years in federal prison for their involvement in a violent drug trafficking network, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington announced.
Khaliil Ahmed, 27, known as “Bossup,” received his sentence for two counts of illegally possessing firearms. Yohannes Wondimagegnehu, 36, known as “Jon,” was sentenced on charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Both men will also serve three years of supervised release following their prison terms.
U.S. District Judge John Chun noted that “these are serious offenses” and emphasized the significant roles both men played in the criminal organization.
Ahmed, from Kent, was linked to a deadly August 2023 shooting at a hookah bar in South Seattle, where three people were killed and he was injured. One of his firearm charges stems from the weapon he had during that shooting. Authorities also tied Ahmed to a May 4, 2024, incident at a First Hill apartment, where surveillance video allegedly showed him pointing a gun at someone. Due to a 2022 conviction for illegally possessing and publicly discharging a firearm in a drive-by shooting, Ahmed was already prohibited from having guns. A search of his home turned up two additional Glocks.
Wondimagegnehu played a role in running an apartment near Seattle’s University District that served as a drug distribution hub. In June 2024, one of the group’s leaders was fatally shot at that location, yet Wondimagegnehu continued dealing drugs. The homicide remains under investigation. When authorities searched his home in October 2024, they discovered eight firearms, various narcotics, and drug proceeds.
The investigation into the drug network has so far resulted in 14 arrests. Ahmed and Wondimagegnehu are the first to be sentenced, while seven other defendants have pleaded guilty and await sentencing. One suspect remains a fugitive.
The alleged leader, 50-year-old Ali Kuyateh, also known as “Pops” from Seattle, is scheduled to face trial in the spring of 2026.
Over the course of the year-long investigation, law enforcement seized more than 19 kilograms of fentanyl, 12 firearms, and $130,000 in cash. During an October 2024 sweep, authorities confiscated over 50 additional firearms, including fully automatic weapons and handguns with Glock switches, along with thousands of rounds of ammunition, high-capacity drum magazines, armor-piercing rounds, hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and jewelry, 1 kilogram of fentanyl, and 4 kilograms of cocaine.
