Washington state fentanyl trafficker sentenced to 9 years in massive drug conspiracy linked to 846,000 pills

Sir Terrique Milam was sentenced Thursday in US District Court in Seattle for his role in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. Prosecutors said Milam was a trusted associate of Markell Jackson, one of the alleged leaders of a trafficking organization centered around members of the Jackson family.

According to the US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington, investigators intercepted phone calls in which Milam discussed traveling with Jackson to Arizona to obtain a shipment of approximately 150,000 fentanyl pills.

US District Judge Jamal N. Whitehead pointed to the deadly potential of the drugs involved while imposing the sentence. “You were in on the conspiracy… You knew what you were selling… And you kept going even after contact with law enforcement,” Whitehead told Milam, according to prosecutors.

Federal authorities said the broader investigation resulted in the seizure of more than 846,000 fentanyl pills, nearly seven kilograms of fentanyl powder, seven kilograms of cocaine, 29 firearms and more than $116,000 in cash.

“Mr. Milam was a trusted member of this drug trafficking organization – trusted to travel to Arizona and meet with the primary supplier of the drugs,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd said.

Floyd noted that despite Milam's age, he already had convictions for promoting prostitution and unlawful firearms possession. “This prison sentence is needed to protect the community and break his cycle of crime,” Floyd said.

Milam first emerged as a target during a wiretap investigation. In August 2024, police stopped him as he returned from eastern Washington and discovered a firearm in his vehicle. Prosecutors said Milam later bragged during an intercepted phone conversation that he had managed to remove fentanyl pills from the vehicle before officers searched it. Despite the encounter with police, investigators said Milam continued trafficking drugs.

On Oct. 2, 2024, authorities searched Milam's home and discovered 323.8 grams of fentanyl underneath his bed, along with multiple drug scales and $4,900 in cash. Milam admitted the money represented proceeds from drug trafficking, according to prosecutors.

The investigation culminated later that month when law enforcement officers carried out arrests and searches across Washington, Arizona, Texas, Missouri and Georgia. Seventeen people were initially arrested on indictments and criminal complaints connected to the conspiracy.

Federal prosecutors allege the organization was led by Marquis Jackson, 33, along with his parents, Mandel Jackson, 52, and Matelita “Marty” Jackson, 51, and siblings Markell Jackson, 23, and Miracle Patu-Jackson, 25. Members of the Jackson family have been indicted on charges involving drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracies. Court records also link some members of the family to a Seattle-area street gang, according to prosecutors.

The Jackson family members and several other defendants are currently scheduled to stand trial in July 2027. The charges against defendants who have not pleaded guilty are allegations, and they are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Several other defendants have already pleaded guilty and received prison sentences. Michael Young Jr., 45, of Tacoma, was sentenced to seven years; Treyvon Mitchell, 33, of Kent, received six years; Robert Johnson, 22, of Renton, was sentenced to 70 months; and Tyrell Lewis, 34, of Federal Way, received 37 months.

FBI Seattle Special Agent in Charge W. Mike Herrington said Milam worked closely with the organization's leadership to move “huge quantities of deadly drugs.”

“He clearly has not learned his lesson from previous convictions and from his attempts to evade law enforcement and so will have to deal with the consequences of his repeated criminal behavior,” Herrington said.