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Phoenix Man Sentenced to 150 Months in Washington Drug Trafficking Case

Ryan Matthew Gennette, 42, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Tacoma over shipments of fentanyl and methamphetamine to Western Washington, according to yelmonline.com.

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 12, 2026, 10:22 p.m. ET

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Ryan Matthew Gennette, 42, of Phoenix has been to in , according to reporting by yelmonline.com. The outlet reports Gennette is a longtime resident of Auburn who relocated to Phoenix. A second defendant, Donald Budge, is named in the case. According to yelmonline.com, the government says Gennette acted as a broker for a large amount of methamphetamine and fentanyl headed to Western Washington. The government's account, as reported by the outlet, is that in June 2024 he shipped two large boxes containing 7 kilograms of fentanyl pills, almost 2 kilograms of fentanyl powder and over 10 kilograms of actual methamphetamine to an address on Whidbey Island, later sent 9 kilograms of methamphetamine via courier, and was involved in sending firearms to cartel-connected drug sources in Mexico. The available record of the case describes the proceeding as at the sentencing stage, with the 150-month term imposed. It does not set out the terms of any plea or the disposition of the case against Budge.

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