Seattle man sentenced to prison for delivering thousands of fentanyl pills to Tri-Cities

A 65-year-old man has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison after he took more than 6,000 fentanyl-laced pills from the Seattle area to the Tri-Cities.

Tommie Slack had often been the courier for one of his sons to deliver 10,000 fentanyl pills to fill an order that was placed every one to two weeks over several months, totaling about 60,000 pills before his arrest in December 2021, according to a court document that quoted an unnamed witness.

However, Slack’s attorney disputes whether the witness was credible.

Law enforcement agents had the witness arrange to buy more fentanyl at a cost of $5 per pill.

When the witness contacted Tommie Slack, he said that his son, Tramein Slack, was out and that “all of this is on me,” according to a federal court document.

At the time Tramein Slack was on probation after a four-year prison sentence for a federal drug conviction, according to a court document.

Tommie Slack arranged to meet the witness at the Hampton Inn in Richland.

When Tommie Slack arrived in a Mercedes Benz, the Tri-Cities Regional SWAT Team conducted a high risk arrest, according to court documents.

A loaded .38 semi-automatic pistol was found in the car along with 6,416 fentanyl pills, according to a court document.

Slack’s attorney, Richard Smith of Yakima, argued in court documents that Tommie Slack was riding in the back seat of a borrowed car when he was arrested and was not aware there was a gun in the front console.

Tommie Slack has 58 convictions starting at the age of 21. Thirty-four involve driving charges or driving related charges and nine are related to domestic violence, according to court documents.

He also had several drug charges that were vacated after the Washington state Supreme Court ruled the felony drug possession law unconstitutional.

Smith said that his client’s criminal history was tied to his cocaine addiction. He left a difficult home at 15 and taught himself how to read in prison at 21, Smith said.

U.S. Judge Mary Dimke , ruling in the Richland U.S. courthouse, ordered Slack to serve five years probation after his release from prison. The case was prosecuted by the Eastern Washington District U.S. Attorney’s Office .