BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Eleven people are in custody following a two-month investigation into drug dealing within downtown Bellingham.

The Whatcom Gang and Drug Task Force began controlled drug buys in November following repeated drug use and other criminal complaints.

A primary suspect, identified as 34-year-old Satan Nehtah Wey, was seen using an RV as a base to deal drugs.

Undercover officers completed dozens of facilitated drug purchases from Nehtah Wey and those who worked for him between November and December 2024.

Nehtah, along with ten others ranging in age from 22 to 48 -years-old, were arrested in downtown Bellingham on Tuesday, Jan. 7.

A search warrant of Nehtah Wey’s RV led to fentanyl, methamphetamine, psilocybin mushrooms and fentanyl-laced oxycontin. Many of the drugs were packaged for “street-level drug sales.”

In addition to drug charges, Nehtah Wey also faces a charge of leading an organized crime operation.

“Fentanyl is deadly and devastating,” said Lt. Keith Linderman of the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office and leader in the Whatcom Gang and Drug Task Force. “Protecting our community from those who sell, and profit from, fentanyl means deploying vital resources like our Gang and Drug Task Force.

The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office anticipates that more people will be arrested in connection to this investigation.

Editor’s note: The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office has updated the total number of arrests with a twelfth person was arrested on Friday, Jan. 10. Last updated: Jan. 13, 2025, at 11:45 a.m.