HON CHAK GORDON SIN, 35, of Vancouver, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $15,000 fine for Distribution of MDMA (Ecstasy). At sentencing U.S. District Judge James L. Robart noted that SIN was involved in the distribution of more than a million ecstasy pills.

According to records filed in the case, in January 2007, SIN was identified as one of a group of people smuggling large amounts of ecstasy into the U.S. from Canada. Law enforcement officers secretly watched SIN as he sold first 1,000 ecstasy pills, and later 100,000 pills. SIN was arrested at the second drug deal at the Westin Hotel in Seattle. At the Seattle apartment SIN shared with a girlfriend, agents found an additional 109,000 ecstasy pills and $81,000 in cash. Also in the apartment were seven spare tires that had been used in the smuggling plot, and a ledger that detailed SIN’s drug distribution. The ledger revealed that between October 1, 2006 and January 1, 2007, SIN distributed 753,500 ecstasy pills. The ledgers provided information that resulted in additional arrests and convictions.

SIN was indicted February 7, 2007, and pleaded guilty September 6, 2007.

In asking for a five year sentence, Assistant United States Attorney Kate Crisham noted that SIN had other options than becoming a drug smuggler. “... unlike many defendants who appear before this Court, who fight substance abuse addictions or are otherwise marginalized members of society, Defendant is a well-educated, intelligent individual with a loving family who has been provided with many educational and professional opportunities throughout the course of his life. It is true that Defendant lost a significant amount of his savings as a result of bad business investments in a restaurant franchise business, and had a difficult break-up with his fianceé. But rather than working hard and going back to his prior career as an electrical engineer, Defendant instead chose to respond to these challenges by selling drugs,” Ms. Crisham wrote in her sentencing memo.

The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kate Crisham and Roger Rogoff.

For additional information please contact Emily Langlie, Public Affairs Officer for the United States Attorney’s Office, at (206) 553-4110 or Emily.Langlie@USDOJ.Gov.

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