Washington’s state attorney has been charged with smuggling drugs into the King County Jail

SEATTLE— A Washington state attorney was charged with participating in a criminal conspiracy to smuggle drugs into the King County Jail in Seattle during client visits.

John M. Sheeran, 60, has been charged with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, possession and distribution of methamphetamine and buprenorphine, and illegal use of a communications facility, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Sheeran is accused of using his status as an attorney to smuggle various drugs — including methamphetamine, ketamine, buprenorphine and THC — to two of his then-clients and inmates at the King County Correctional Facility during legal visits, according to the indictment.

“During the course of the conspiracy, Sheeran distributed, or possessed with intent to distribute, sheets of paper that were impregnated with drugs, chewing tobacco tins that substituted the tobacco for drugs, and sample clothing in which drugs were concealed in the soles of the shoes.” , the DOJ wrote in a press release.

After Sheeran smuggled the drugs into the KCCF, his co-conspirators allegedly sold the drugs to other inmates for what the DOJ described as “significant amounts of money.” On October 16, a federal grand jury in Seattle returned an indictment against Sheeran and his four co-conspirators, the DOJ said.

Sheeran was arrested without incident in Washington Place, Washington on October 21.

The DOJ said Sheeran made his first appearance in federal court Monday before a U.S. magistrate judge in Seattle and pleaded not guilty. He was released pending a jury trial set to begin on December 20, 2024.

If convicted, Sheeran faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years, a minimum of three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sheeran’s clients and co-conspirators, Darryll Peterson and Kevin Harper, were both charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.

Sheeran’s alleged drug supplier, Katrina Cazares, was charged with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Finally, KCCF inmate MichaelBarquet was charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.

Sheeran initially served as attorney for Pierce County Sheriff Department Deputy Ed Troyer in a 2022 trial in which he was found not guilty of false criminal complaint in connection with a 2021 confrontation with a Black newspaper carrier. However, Sheeran eventually withdrew from the case when he joined a legal group representing the Tacoma police detective who witnessed the Troyer incident.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the King County Sheriff’s Office, according to the DOJ.