A 36-year-old man accused of maintaining a large-scale narcotics operation across two Burien apartments has been sentenced to 20 months in prison, according to King County court documents. Edwan Gustavo Banegas Ramos, who is also identified in court records as Edman Gustavo Banegas Ramos, received the maximum standard sentence from King County Superior Court Judge Matthew Lapin following a jury conviction and a subsequent guilty plea. He is a citizen of Honduras. 

Surveillance Uncovers Massive Drug Cache

The conviction follows an extended investigation by King County Sheriff's Deputies, who conducted physical surveillance on two residential apartments in Burien. Upon executing search warrants across both locations, law enforcement officers recovered significant quantities of illicit narcotics.

In total, officers seized 22,788 M-30 fentanyl pills, 19 pounds of fentanyl powder, 263.6 grams of methamphetamine, 615.6 grams of powder cocaine, and 156.8 grams of crack cocaine.

Jury Verdict and Last-Minute Guilty Plea

King County prosecutors initially brought four felony counts under the Uniform Controlled Substances Act against Ramos. On August 20, 2026, a King County jury found Ramos guilty on three counts of possession with intent to manufacture or deliver for fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine. The jury also affirmed a major violation aggravating factor on the fentanyl possession charge.

However, the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on the remaining felony count of manufacturing fentanyl. When prosecutors formally announced their intention to retry the manufacturing count, Ramos withdrew his original not guilty plea during a court appearance on September 18, 2026. He entered a guilty plea to unlawfully manufacturing fentanyl alongside a major violation aggravator. Court filings noted that the aggravators applied because the drug enterprise involved manufacturing controlled substances for distribution to third parties, high organizational sophistication, planning over an extended timeframe, and distribution across a broad geographic area.

Prosecution Push for Exceptional Sentence Denied

Because Ramos had no prior criminal record, state sentencing guidelines established a standard sentence range topped at 20 months. Pointing to the scale of the operation and the jury's aggravating findings, Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Alex Muir urged the court to impose an exceptional sentence above the statutory standard, requesting 36 months of total confinement alongside 12 months of community custody.

At the September 18 hearing, where Ramos appeared with defense attorney John Joseph Kannin IV and a Spanish court interpreter, Judge Lapin opted to stay within standard statutory limits. The court sentenced Ramos to 20 months of confinement on each of the four counts, ordering all terms to run concurrently.

Community Custody and Legal Mandates

Following his release from the Department of Corrections, Ramos must complete 12 months of community custody. Judge Lapin ordered Ramos to submit to mandatory DNA collection and prohibited him from possessing firearms.

The court waived all discretionary fines, court costs, and the mandatory victim penalty assessment. Court filings also indicate that three co-defendants connected to the case were previously convicted