Moses Lake man sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for drug trafficking

SPOKANE — A Moses Lake man was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after being convicted of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.  

Jackson Wyatt Brown, 40, was sentenced Tuesday, according to a press release from the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Washington. The conviction stemmed from an investigation in May 2025.  

Moses Lake Police Department Detective Sergeant Curt Ledeboer, who was part of the team conducting the investigation, said Brown and his co-conspirators were suspected of selling methamphetamines, and officers had purchased some meth from them. 

"It was a large operation we conducted over multiple days," Ledeboer said. 

The DOJ release said they were suspected of selling fentanyl as well.  

"Brown ultimately sold a confidential informant and undercover agent quantities of each drug during recorded transactions," the DOJ release said. 

While the drug investigation was ongoing, Brown and his co-conspirators committed a robbery.  

"During an unrelated investigation into firearms trafficking in Grant County, Brown unexpectedly arrived at a co-conspirator's residence with a firearm and robbed the confidential informant, who he said owed him a drug debt from several years prior," the DOJ release said.  

Ledeboer said the victim may have been invited to the residence for the purpose of committing the robbery.  

"Very bad luck for him that we were already on that location," Ledeboer said. 

Investigators attempted to stop Brown's vehicle, but he tried to run away, the DOJ release said.  

"While eluding law enforcement, Brown's vehicle became disabled in a high sand mound," the DOJ release said. He briefly attempted to resist arrest but eventually surrendered. 

Investigators obtained a search warrant for his vehicle about one pound of methamphetamines and a realistic replica of a firearm, the release said. 

"Brown received enhancements to his sentencing range based upon his threats of violence and use of a firearm against the informant," the DOJ release said.  

Brown was known to law enforcement before the investigation, Ledeboer said.  

The investigation was a joint effort by the MLPD and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Two MLPD officers hold dual certification as ATF personnel, Ledeboer said.  

Breaking up the ring did help reduce the amount of drugs available in Grant County, Ledeboer said. 

"The whole case we worked last May had a significant impact," he said. "When we're able to pull down people together, we are making an impact."