SEATTLE MAN SENTENCED TO 35 MONTHS IN PRISON FOR TRAFFICKING LSD
Defendant Sold LSD to Undercover Officer on Multiple Occasions
A Seattle man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 35 months in prison for trafficking LSD. On August 25, 2010, JAY ANTHONY RAMOS, 23, pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute LSD, two counts of Distribution of LSD, and Possession of LSD with intent to distribute. A co-defendant, James N. Schweda, was tried and convicted of the LSD distribution conspiracy on September 20, 2010. Schweda faces a mandatory minimum ten years in prison when sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik on December 17, 2010.
According to testimony at trial and records in the case, the South Snohomish County Narcotics Task Force opened an investigation into the drug conspiracy in 2008. Information developed in the case revealed the LSD was being distributed as far away as Wyoming. An undercover officer purchased LSD from RAMOS on June 19 and July 24, 2008. On August 19, 2008, officers executed a search warrant on RAMOS’ residence and found additional LSD and other controlled substances. RAMOS and Schweda, who had also been living at the Seattle residence, were arrested.
Assistant United States Attorney Doug Whalley noted for the court the danger of LSD. “According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Ramos trafficked one of the more dangerous drugs available today. Hallucinogens such as LSD cause emotions to swing wildly and real-world sensations to assume unreal, sometimes frightening aspects. In addition to their short-term effects on perception and mood, LSD is associated with psychotic-like episodes that can occur long after a person has taken the drug.”
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, in cooperation with the South Snohomish County Narcotics Task Force, which is comprised of officers from the Lynnwood, Edmonds, and Montlake Terrace Police Departments.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Doug Whalley and Jeffrey Backhus.
For additional information please contact Emily Langlie, Public Affairs Officer for the United States Attorney’s Office, at (206) 553-4110 or Emily.Langlie@USDOJ.Gov
