Seattle man who trafficked drugs and fired gun in International District Drive-by sentenced to prison

Seattle – A 50-year-old Seattle man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 90 months in prison for drug trafficking and carrying a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Phuong Nguyen Le was stopped in connection with a drive-by shooting in Seattle’s International District in February 2023 and was indicted in May 2023. Le was taken into custody with a loaded firearm and fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine base. Le was arrested after he fired several shots out of the window of his car in the Little Saigon neighborhood. At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge John H. Chun said, Le’s conduct “inflicted serious risk to members of the community.”

“Local and federal law enforcement continue to work to increase safety in the International District. This case is a good example of our office working with the King County Prosecutors Office and the Seattle Police to take the cases where federal prosecution provides the most impact,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Miller.

On February 24, 2023, Seattle Police officers responded to reports of shots fired at the intersection of 10^th Avenue South and South King Street in Seattle. Witnesses at the scene reported a man in a white Mercedes fired a handgun in the air multiple times at the intersection. SPD officers then located the vehicle nearby and found Phuong Nguyen Le driving, with his girlfriend in the passenger seat. Le was the owner of the vehicle. Le ultimately gave consent to search the vehicle. SPD officers seized the following items:

• a Springfield Armory XD-9 9mm caliber pistol, with a round of ammunition in the chamber and a partially loaded magazine;
• an additional Springfield Armory 9mm caliber magazine loaded with ammunition;
• two spent bullet shell casings;
• approximately 83 grams of heroin;
• approximately 135 grams of cocaine;
• approximately 194 grams of suspected fentanyl powder;
• approximately 350 pills suspected to contain fentanyl.

In asking for the 90 -month sentence, prosecutors wrote to the court, “Le was found in possession of multiple controlled substances, including fentanyl, which he intended to distribute to others for his financial gain. Making matters more concerning is the fact that he was armed with a loaded firearm while possessing the controlled substances. Worse still is the fact that Le discharged his firearm while driving through a neighborhood in Seattle. The combination of drug distribution with firearm possession places the community at danger and warrants a substantial custodial sentence.”

Le will be on five years of supervised release following prison.

In April of 2012, Le was convicted of distribution of cocaine base in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. In September of 2020, Le was sentenced to two years in prison for illegal possession of a firearm and illegal possession of drugs

The case was investigated by the Seattle Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brian Wynne