SPOKANE, WA — Federal authorities have charged 21 individuals from the Spokane area with a range of drug and firearm-related offenses following a months-long investigation led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington, 15 separate indictments were unsealed today, with several individuals taken into custody. Some suspects remain at large. The charges stem from an investigation launched in October 2024, focusing on armed and violent drug traffickers—many with gang affiliations and criminal histories spanning multiple states including Washington, Texas, Idaho, and California.
Investigators seized nearly 14 pounds of methamphetamine, over a kilogram of heroin, more than 16,000 fentanyl pills, 5.5 pounds of powdered fentanyl, $60,000 in suspected drug proceeds, 36 firearms, and four vehicles.
A civil forfeiture complaint has also been filed against a Spokane apartment complex near North Central High School, which authorities allege was used to distribute drugs and facilitate access to firearms. The property has generated over 50 law enforcement service calls in the last two and a half years.
The charged individuals include:
-
Andrew Vincent Auerbach – distribution of methamphetamine and firearm possession.
-
Daryl Edward Boone, 45 – fentanyl and methamphetamine distribution.
-
James M. Ferguson, 33 – unlawful possession of a short-barreled shotgun.
-
Jonathan Jacob Inglis, 40 – sentenced to over 12 years in prison for meth and fentanyl distribution.
-
Nathan Carlson Johnson, 44 – methamphetamine distribution.
-
James Lelacheur, 56 – methamphetamine distribution.
-
Christopher Wayne O’Neal – methamphetamine distribution; currently in Spokane County Jail.
-
Gabriella Sherif Rizkalla – multiple methamphetamine distribution charges.
-
Roland Dewayne Sanders, 36 – fentanyl distribution; used a minor to assist.
-
Bernie Ray Shaw Jr., 45 – fentanyl distribution.
-
Courtney A. Wheeler, Andrew Lee Williams, and Anthony Dale Williams – various firearm and drug trafficking charges, including meth and cocaine distribution.
Some of the accused will appear for arraignment at the U.S. Courthouse in Spokane on May 9 at 10:00 a.m.
The case was brought under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) initiative and involved multiple agencies, including the DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, Washington Department of Corrections, and local law enforcement.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.