Yakima, Washington – Vanessa R. Waldref, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that a federal grand jury has indicted Susen Ann Gorst, age 34, of Toppenish, Washington. The federal indictment charges Gorst with Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl, Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking.
According to an August 1, 2021 criminal complaint, the investigation into Gorst stems from information that she was supplying fentanyl pills to multiple users in the Yakima area. Based on this information, the Yakama Nation Police Department and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) conducted surveillance at the El Corral Motel in Toppenish, Washington, where Gorst allegedly was selling fentanyl. On July 22, 2022, agents and officers from the DEA Yakima Resident Office, Homeland Security Investigations, the Yakama Nation Police Department, Yakima Police Department, and Toppenish Police Department executed a search warrant of Gorst’s motel room, where enforcement seized fentanyl pills, methamphetamine, and a Smith and Wesson semiautomatic firearm.
“When law enforcement and our communities come together, we are able to make tremendous strides toward addressing the opioid crisis,” stated U.S. Attorney Waldref. “Our office has been prosecuting fentanyl cases vigorously – on the Yakama Nation and throughout Eastern Washington – as part of our ongoing efforts to build safer and stronger communities. Fentanyl is particularly lethal, and we are proactively working to prevent the tragedy it causes on a daily basis.”
This case involves a joint investigation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Yakima Resident Office, Yakama Nation Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, Yakima Police Department, and the Toppenish Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Frances Walker, Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
The details contained in the charging documents are merely allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.