Kayak William Thomas, 28, of Seattle, and Sung Min Kim, aka Steve Kim, 34, of Lake Forest Park, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Seattle on Sept. 7 to Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana.
In their plea agreements, both men admit to leading a sophisticated drug-trafficking organization that purchased marijuana from Canadian suppliers and distributed the marijuana throughout western Washington and as far away as Maine, Illinois and California.
According to the plea agreements, Thomas and Kim rented homes, apartments and storage lockers in King and Snohomish counties to store and package the marijuana for distribution. Thomas traveled with another co-conspirator to Maine and New York to pick up huge shipments of marijuana. On another occasion, Thomas directed a co-conspirator to deliver 147 pounds of marijuana hidden in a custom-built trailer to a contact in Illinois.
Kim was arrested as he attempted to transfer 143 pounds of marijuana from a storage locker in downtown Seattle to his car. Thomas was arrested at his apartment, located across the street from the Federal Courthouse in downtown Seattle. With some of the proceeds from the drug trade, Kim purchased a 2.5 carat engagement ring for $20,000. In the plea agreements, both men admit the conspiracy trafficked more than 6,400 pounds of marijuana across the country.
Thomas and Kim are scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour on Jan. 5.
The case was an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation, providing supplemental federal funding to the federal and state agencies involved. The case was investigated by DEA and the Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John J. Lulejian, Assistant United States Attorney Ronald J. Friedman, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Adam W. Cornell.
Lulejian was unable to discuss whether there was a connection with the drug ring and others in the area, as it is an ongoing investigation.
“This case is important because we are dealing with a sophisticated drug organization,” Lulejian said. “Marijuana is often traded for harder drugs along the I-5 corridor in the west coast.”
Thomas faces up to 20 years in prison and Kim faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. The drug ring had been ongoing for several years, Lulejian said.
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