Seattle and federal law enforcement officials announced the arrest and grand jury indictment of five people they say were part of a violent drug trafficking organization preying on people experiencing homelessness in the Chinatown-International District.

Mayor Bruce Harrell, joined by U.S. Attorney Tessa Gorman and officials from the FBI, DEA, IRS Criminal Investigation and the Seattle Police Department, said the group — which investigators called the “Jungle Drug Trafficking Organization” — sold fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin in encampments and other locations including beneath I‑5 and near 12th and Jackson.

The announcement came at a press event held at Hing Hay Park, where officials described a coordinated, multiagency investigation that led to arrests and search warrants. “This drug trafficking group was preying on people experiencing homelessness in our Chinatown International District,” Harrell said, calling the conduct “disturbing and unacceptable.”

Why it matters: prosecutors and police said the organization used violence and threats to control turf and charged more to vulnerable customers. U.S. Attorney Tessa Gorman said the group’s activities had a “staggering” community impact and that, although the quantities are smaller than cartel‑level trafficking, the harm is high. “It is incorrect to use the term low level drug trafficking. This is high impact drug trafficking,” she said.

Federal and local investigators said they recovered a large number of firearms and narcotics. Gorman and FBI officials specified 17 firearms seized, including AR‑style rifles, semiautomatic pistols, weapons modified to accept silencers, short‑barreled rifles and body armor. DEA special agent in charge David Reams said the amount of fentanyl powder seized “was enough to potentially kill 1,700,000 people.”

FBI Seattle Special Agent in Charge Mike Harrington described the investigative approach: instead of beginning with a known target, agents started from neighborhood complaints and found recurring names tied to sales in encampments and high‑drug areas. “As we looked into that problem, we found the same names were mentioned repeatedly,” Harrington said.

Officials also described complementary non‑enforcement measures. Harrell said outreach workers are coordinating referrals to detox treatment and that new dedicated beds at Valley Cities Recovery Place will serve up to 150 people. He said the city budget included “over $14,500,000 to address the opioid crisis,” and that the city is piloting CCTV and lighting improvements and pursuing an ordinance to disrupt retail theft and illegal vending.

Investigators named the organization’s territory as running through South Seattle and said the group had been linked to shootings, robberies and arsons. Officials emphasized the operation was part of an ongoing investigation and that additional enforcement and prosecutorial work could follow. “The entire organization continues to be under investigation,” Reams said.

Officials urged community members and business owners in the International District that the city and regional partners will continue enforcement paired with treatment options. Harrell said the effort demonstrates “strategy, coordination, taking guns and drugs out of our community.”

The announcement did not include criminal filings or specific charges for each defendant in the press remarks; the U.S. Attorney’s Office said the indictments had been returned by a grand jury and indicated further prosecutorial work. Investigators acknowledged coordination with King County and regional law enforcement partners during the investigation.