Repeat Offender Gets 14 Years for Distributing Crack While Armed

Press release provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office

A repeat felon who had been out of prison less than six months when he returned to drug dealing, was sentenced this week to 14 years in prison, announced U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan.  Cedric Jackson, 35, was prosecuted as part of a federal “hotspot” initiative designed to target drug and gun crime in the Kent Valley region of Western Washington.  Between August and October 2012, Jackson supplied cocaine that was purchased by undercover officers on six different occasions.  When search warrants were executed on Jackson's home, officers found cocaine, cash, and four firearms.  At sentencing, U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Zilly said, “You have a long history of convictions.  You have been a career criminal in the true sense of the word.  But you have so much talent – you could do so many things if you stayed away from drugs and guns.”         

Jackson was released from federal prison in March 2012, and within months returned to manufacturing and distributing crack cocaine.  When officers searched his home, they found a loaded Taurus .357 Magnum revolver under his bed, and three guns in a cooler in the garage: a Glock 9mm handgun loaded with a 30 round magazine, a loaded Intratec 9mm handgun, and a revolver. Jackson has more than a dozen prior convictions including assault, robbery, burglary, drug possession, and bank fraud.        

In asking for the 14 year prison sentence, prosecutors wrote to the court, “A significant term of imprisonment is warranted in this case to protect the public from further crimes of defendant Cedric Jackson.  As the criminal history outlined above makes clear, from the time he was 18 to the present, the defendant has engaged in a repeated pattern of criminal activity, including violent crimes and unlawful firearm possession.  Of most concern, the timeline above demonstrates clearly that the defendant engages in new criminal conduct as soon as he is released from custody.”        

In all, 33 people were prosecuted as part of “Operation Down in the Valley,” the hotspot initiative targeting gang violence, drugs, and gun sales in the Kent, Renton, and Tukwila areas. The initiative took nearly 14 pounds of methamphetamine off the street as well as cocaine, heroin, and prescription narcotics.  This three month initiative is the second hotspot initiative in the Seattle area.  It followed the successful focus on White Center in 2011.         

The hotspot initiative was led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) and ICE’s Homeland Security Investigation.  The police departments and agencies involved include the Valley Gang Unit (including officers from Kent, Renton, the Port of Seattle, Tukwila, King County Metro, and the Department of Corrections), the Seattle Police Department, the FBI, and the Washington State Liquor Control Board.