A Washington man arrested on nearly a dozen drug and weapons charges on Thursday had been granted clemency by former Gov. Jay Inslee in 2019.
The arrest of Percy Levy, 54, was first reported in the Lynwood Times, a Snohomish County newspaper.
The arrest was made by the Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force following a 16-month investigation. The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office indicated that the suspect was taken into custody during a traffic stop in Everett.
Subsequently, a warrant was executed at the suspect’s residence, leading detectives to seize 2,818 grams of powder cocaine, 14.7 grams of rock cocaine, and 556 grams of fentanyl. The amount of fentanyl recovered was deemed significant, with authorities stating that it could potentially cause fatalities for around 278,000 individuals. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency highlighted the lethal nature of fentanyl, noting that a mere 2 milligrams of the substance could be fatal.
Detectives also found packaging material, a digital scale and a handgun inside the home.
In 2019, Governor Inslee made a decision regarding Levy following the State v. Blake case in 2021, which altered the classification of controlled substance possession to a misdemeanor, as reported by the newspaper.
In the six years following his clemency, Levy dedicated himself to criminal justice reform, according to the newspaper.
He worked as a community outreach specialist for the Washington Defender Association and founded Redemption Auto, a car dealership in Everett. Levy is also treasurer on the Board of the Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County chapter.
The sheriff’s office said the matter remains under investigation.
