Federal Inmate, who smuggled heroin into the FDC resulting in fatal overdose, sentenced to ten years in prison

Tacoma - A 38-year-old Grays Harbor County, Washington, man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to ten years in prison for two counts of possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute, announced U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Gabriel Armas was on federal supervised release for a prior conviction for heroin and methamphetamine trafficking when he was arrested for again distributing narcotics. After he was incarcerated at the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac, he again distributed heroin, resulting in the overdose death of another inmate. At the sentencing hearing today U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle said, "There can hardly be any offenses more serious than one that resulted in the death of (the victim), which happened here. And it happened in what was supposed to be a safe environment. The FDC is supposed to be safe, but it wasn't safe for (the victim) because you made the decision to introduce drugs into this environment and as a result someone who was loved by his family died."

"A federal arrest and incarceration can be the first step towards getting clean and sober, but not when other inmates scheme to deal drugs while imprisoned," said U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. "In this case a family was touched by tragedy when their son died of an overdose caused by this defendant. It is a priority for our office to prosecute cases of contraband in jails and prisons."

According to records in the case, on November 14, 2023, Armas was found slumped over the wheel of a car in a parking lot in Ocean Shores, Washington. When an officer knocked on the window, Armas drove away at a high rate of speed. Law enforcement stopped the pursuit due to Armas' reckless driving.

The car Armas was driving got stuck on a bridge that had not been designed for vehicle traffic and the bridge collapsed. Armas left the area, but a drug detecting dog found things he had abandoned in the area such as baggies containing fentanyl pills, fentanyl powder, and crystal methamphetamine. They also found identity cards in Armas' name.

A few days later, Armas was found in the area where the car was abandoned and was booked into the Federal Detention Center. Initially he was booked for violating conditions of his federal supervision for a 2014 drug trafficking conviction. Armas was housed in the Special Housing Unit (SHU) on the night of November 19, 2023. On the morning of November 20, 2023, the person sharing the cell with Armas was found unresponsive and died despite lifesaving efforts. An autopsy revealed the man died from acute heroin, olanzapine, and mirtazapine intoxication.

On November 23, 2023, authorities found heroin hidden in Armas' cell. It was wrapped in a jailhouse note offering heroin for sale to inmates. A few weeks later more heroin was found in the top of a pill bottle in Armas' cell. On January 25, 2024, Armas admitted to another inmate that he made money selling heroin to other inmates and that his cellmate overdosed and died from the heroin. Armas said he swallowed some of the heroin to hide it from staff after his cellmate's overdose.

"In the space of just over a week, Mr. Armas's series of reckless actions contributed to his cellmate's overdose death; endangered the community by fleeing law enforcement at high speed; and collapsed a bridge not designed for vehicles during that pursuit," said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. "He has clearly not learned his lesson from his last drug trafficking conviction, as he was also found to have fentanyl and heroin in his vehicle and prison cell. This sentence holds Mr. Armas accountable for his dangerous conduct and sends a message to all would-be drug traffickers: the FBI and our partners take these crimes seriously."

In asking for a ten-year sentence prosecutors wrote to the court, "By selling drugs in the FDC, Armas demonstrated a complete disregard for the safety of other incarcerated individuals, many of whom have significant addiction issues that have contributed to their being detained. By aiming to provide drugs to other inmates, Armas took advantage of a captive clientele of drug users, many of whom were likely in the process of withdrawal due to their incarceration, rendering them more vulnerable to the harmful effects of opioids."

Armas was ordered to be on supervised release for eight years following prison.

The case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Ocean Shores Police Department and Grays Harbor Sheriff's Office.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Max Shiner.