The Washington state defense attorney has been charged with smuggling drugs into the King County Jail

SEATTLE- A Washington state defense attorney has been charged with participating in a criminal conspiracy to smuggle drugs into the King County Jail in Seattle during client visits.

John M. Sheeran, 60, was charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, possession and distribution of methamphetamine and buprenorphine, and illegal use of a communications facility, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

According to the indictment, Sheeran is accused of using his status as an attorney to smuggle various drugs – including methamphetamine, ketamine, buprenorphine and THC – during legal visits to two of his then-clients and inmates at the King County Correctional Facility.

“During the conspiracy, Sheeran distributed or possessed with the intent to distribute drug-laced leaves, chewing tobacco cans in which drugs were substituted for the tobacco, and trial clothing in which drugs were concealed in the soles of his shoes,” the DOJ wrote in a press release.

After Sheeran smuggled the drugs into KCCF, his co-conspirators allegedly sold them to other inmates for “significant sums.” On Oct. 16, a federal grand jury in Seattle indicted Sheeran and his four co-conspirators, the DOJ said.

Sheeran was arrested without incident on October 21 in Washington Place, Washington.

The DOJ said Sheeran appeared in federal court for the first time before a U.S. judge in Seattle on Monday and pleaded not guilty. He was ordered released pending a jury trial scheduled to begin on December 20, 2024.

If convicted, Sheeran faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, a minimum of three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sheeran's clients and co-conspirators, Darryll Peterson and Kevin Harper, were both charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.

Sheeran's alleged drug supplier, Katrina Cazares, has been charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Ultimately, KCCF inmate Michael Barquet was charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.

Sheeran was originally the defense attorney for Pierce County Sheriff's Department Deputy Ed Troyer in a 2022 trial in which he was found not guilty of false reporting related to a 2021 confrontation with a Black newspaper publisher. However, Sheeran ultimately withdrew from the case when he joined a legal group representing the Tacoma police detective who witnessed the Troyer incident.

According to the DOJ, the case was investigated by the FBI and the King County Sheriff's Office.