Spokane, Washington For illegally having a handgun and trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamine, a Spokane man was given a 20-year sentence in federal prison.
A jury trial resulted in the conviction of 40-year-old Charles Michael McClain on May 6, 2025, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington. The punishment was handed down by U.S. District Judge Thomas O. Rice.
According to court documents, McClain was named by the Quad Cities Drug Task Force as a supplier of methamphetamine, fentanyl powder, and fentanyl pills to traffickers in the Clarkston, Washington, area around the beginning of 2024. Agents carried out a search warrant at his Spokane residence on Riverton Avenue on May 6, 2024. Methamphetamine, fentanyl powder, 359 fentanyl pills, drug paraphernalia, around $18,000 in cash, and a gun discovered beneath McClain’s pillow were also confiscated.
McClain acknowledged buying around 10,000 fentanyl tablets and 10 ounces of fentanyl powder per month for almost a year, according to investigators. On the day of the search, he was getting ready to buy something else.
McClain was previously convicted of delivering a controlled narcotic in Washington state, for which he was imprisoned for 84 months.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Mehtab Syed said that drug trafficking and illegal firearm possession are a deadly combination that jeopardizes public safety, while U.S. Attorney Pete Serrano stressed the importance of prosecuting drug trafficking cases to safeguard Eastern Washington communities.
The matter was looked into by the FBI and the Quad Cities Drug Task Force, which consists of the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office, Lewiston Police Department, and Clarkston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca R. Perez was the prosecutor.
