RENTON, WA – A 44-year-old western Washington man has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for federal drug and gun crimes. David Christopher Pitts, of Renton, WA, was arrested in December 2021 following an undercover investigation into his drug trafficking activities.
At a sentencing hearing held last Friday, U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones urged Pitts to recognize the damage drug addiction does in the community saying, “Look at all the people you see in our city clutching foil and a straw… You are feeding their addiction every day… They can’t pay their rent, they can’t feed their children… They may have an addiction because of what you put into the community… I want you to develop a conscience beyond the money you put in your pocket.”
According to records filed in the case, in November and December 2021, a person working with law enforcement purchased fentanyl from Pitts at his residence in Renton. Officers then applied for and were granted a search warrant for the residence. During the execution of the warrant, Pitts was taken into custody without incident.
A subsequent search of the residence was then conducted where officers located numerous types of narcotics, 25 firearms and more than $55,000 in cash.
In the main bedroom, officers reportedly found three different handguns – one of them stolen. In the closet of the bedroom, there was a hard-shell case containing methamphetamine, fentanyl, and Xanax bars. In a safe, in that same closet, investigators found heroin, cocaine, suboxone, ketamine, fentanyl pills, and medical grade fentanyl.
In a second bedroom, which Pitts had been using as a storage space, officers found fifteen handguns, four semiautomatic assault rifles, two bolt action rifles, and a 12-guage shotgun. In total, officers located 25 firearms, all of which Pitts is prohibited from possessing due to two prior state convictions for possessing firearms while dealing drugs.
The case was investigated by the Seattle Police Department as part of the FBI’s Violent Crime, Gang and Organized Crime Task Force.
