FDC-SeaTac inmate who distributed heroin and fentanyl within the prison sentenced to 52 months in prison

Seattle – A 37-year-old Tacoma, Washington resident was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to a total term of 52 months for providing drug contraband within a federal prison and 28 supervised release violations, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller.  David A. McKean smuggled balloons of fentanyl and heroin into the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac (“FDC-SeaTac”) inside of his body, and distributed those drugs to other inmates in his unit.  Two of those inmates who received drugs from McKean suffered near-fatal fentanyl poisonings. At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge John H. Chun labeled McKean’s conduct “a serious offense,” and noted that it is “critical that deadly drugs be kept out of penal institutions.”

According to the plea agreement and other information filed in the case, McKean appeared at a September 8, 2023 supervised release hearing at the U.S. District Courthouse in Tacoma with heroin and fentanyl on his person.  He was ordered detained at FDC-SeaTac during that hearing and, at some point before his admission to the prison, swallowed balloons of drugs for purposes of smuggling them into the facility. 

Shortly after his arrival at FDC-SeaTac, McKean began distributing the drugs to other inmates.  Two of those inmates who received fentanyl from McKean suffered fentanyl poisonings—one on the evening of September 9, 2023 and another the following morning.  The first overdose had to be reversed by life-saving interventions from other inmates and multiple doses of naloxone administered by Bureau of Prisons (BOP) staff. The second overdose also had to be reversed by multiple doses of naloxone and hospitalization. BOP employees searched McKean’s cell after the overdoses, and found heroin, fentanyl, suboxone, and other suspected contraband inside McKean’s cell.

McKean was also facing 28 admitted supervised release violations that arose during his supervision for a prior federal conviction.  At sentencing, the Court imposed a sentence of four months for the supervised release violations, plus 48 months for McKean’s guilty plea to providing contraband in prison, for a total sentence of 52 months in custody.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dane A. Westermeyer.