Two western Washington men are facing federal charges after investigators say they broke into 17 pharmacies across the Puget Sound region over the course of nearly a year, targeting prescription narcotics each time.
Koumssa Wakgira, 44, of Seattle, and Juston Young, 42, of Renton, face a 24 count federal indictment that includes conspiracy to commit burglary, conspiracy to distribute prescription drugs, 17 counts of burglary or attempted burglary, and five counts of possession with intent to distribute.
Court documents allege the pair targeted pharmacies from Kirkland to Chehalis between May 2025 and March 2026, hitting locations in King, Thurston, Lewis and Pierce counties. Surveillance footage reportedly showed the same gear at each scene, including gray sneakers, a black cap fitted with a headlamp, and gloves with lettering on them.
Investigators got their break after one of the suspects left a glove behind during a break-in at a pharmacy in Olympia. A DNA sample from that glove matched Young. That led authorities to search both men’s homes and vehicles, where they say they recovered dozens of bags of prescription pills, burglary tools including pry bars and bolt cutters, and cellphone location data placing both suspects near each pharmacy at the time of the break-ins.
Young was arraigned last month and remains in federal custody. Wakgira was arrested Tuesday morning and made his first court appearance that afternoon. Both men face up to 20 years in prison on each count if convicted.
