Drug trafficker sent 42 pounds to Whidbey
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, August 11, 2026
A Phoenix man who sent boxes containing nearly 42 pounds of methamphetamine and fentanyl to a Whidbey Island address was sentenced to 12 1/2 years in federal prison.
Ryan Matthew Gennette, 42, was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Tacoma after pleading guilty in May. Gennette, who lived in Auburn for many years before moving to Phoenix, was linked to large shipments of methamphetamine and counterfeit M30 pills containing fentanyl destined for Western Washington, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington.
Federal investigators were already tracking Gennette in June 2024 when he shipped two large boxes to an address on Whidbey Island containing seven kilograms of fentanyl pills, nearly two kilograms of fentanyl powder and more than 10 kilograms of methamphetamine, court records state.
Law enforcement officers intercepted the shipment and replaced the drugs with sham materials, allowing investigators to continue tracking Gennette’s alleged drug distribution network.
The investigation eventually linked Gennette to much larger shipments. Prosecutors said he subsequently sent nine kilograms of methamphetamine by courier, which was also seized. Investigators working with confidential informants then placed orders for large quantities of drugs from Gennette. Prosecutors said Gennette contacted a source in Mexico to obtain the drugs.
Gennette sent two shipments of highly pure methamphetamine in October 2024 that were intercepted by law enforcement, according to prosecutors.
Investigators later seized more than 64 kilograms of methamphetamine and 6.5 kilograms of counterfeit M30 pills made to resemble prescription oxycodone during a traffic stop of a courier.
Gennette was arrested in Phoenix in November 2024 and pleaded guilty in May.
The investigation was led by the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and numerous local law enforcement agencies, including the Island County Sheriff’s Office.
