Sekiu Resident Pleads Guilty to Drug and Gun Crimes
Defendant was Dealing Oxycodone While Possessing Multiple Firearms
| U.S. Attorney’s Office November 14, 2012 |
A resident of Sekiu, Washington who had been banned from Makah Tribal lands pleaded guilty last week to possession of oxycodone with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, announced U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan. James G. Rode, 47, was arrested March 2, 2012, following a court authorized search of his residence. Law enforcement found 40 15mg oxycodone pills hidden in a heating vent in the bathroom. Nearby, they found three firearms. Rode admits with his plea that the firearms were used to further his drug trafficking activity. Rode faces a mandatory minimum five years in prison on the gun count to run consecutive to any other sentence. Sentencing is scheduled for February 1, 2013.
According to the plea agreement, members of the Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team were investigating Rode’s drug dealing. In February 2012, someone working with law enforcement bought oxycodone from Rode on multiple occasions. Rode had previously been banned from Makah Tribal lands because of his drug dealing activity.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, both prosecutors and defense attorneys will recommend a sentence between 11 and 13 years in prison.
The case was investigated by Neah Bay Tribal Police; Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team; and agents from the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney J. Tate London. Mr. London serves as the Tribal Liaison for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.