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Local drug task force busts 19-year-old with 6,000 Xanax pills

A multi-county drug task force — including the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office — executed a search warrant Thursday at the residence of a Puyallup 19-year-old in possession of 6,000 Xanax pills.

The investigation was in cooperation with the United States Postal Inspection Service, who identified the teenager receiving and distributing amounts of the pills throughout the Puget Sound region.

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A Washington State Patrol SWAT team made contact with the suspect at his residence, where the 6,000 pills worth upwards of $60,000 were found. Xanax is a schedule IV controlled substance.

The suspect was booked into Pierce County Jail on charges ranging from from possession of a controlled substance, to possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver.

Without a prescription, the penalty for possession of a schedule IV drug is a Class 4 felony, punishable by fines up to $25,000 and between one and three years in prison. Possession with intent to deliver can lead to a jail sentence for up to five years.

The investigation started several months ago. There are other suspects linked to this one under investigation, that the task force is looking to scoop up in the coming months.