Kitsap man given five years in prison for drug distribution in Blyn

Published 1:30 pm Tuesday, July 14, 2026

Following an Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team (OPNET) investigation into a drug operation being run out of a Blyn hotel room earlier this year, a Kitsap County man received a five-year prison sentence last week.

Dylan Marsh-Backs, 36, was sentenced on July 9 by Judge Elizabeth Stanley in Clallam County Superior Court to serve 60 months in prison for possession with intent to deliver fentanyl and unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree.

Marsh-Backs changed his plea to guilty earlier this month to avoid federal charges, according to law enforcement. His sentence follows prosecutors’ recommendation to Stanley and is on the top end of the standard sentencing range. As part of Marsh-Backs’ sentence, he’ll be required to go into community custody through the Washington State Department of Corrections for 12 months once released, complete a substance abuse evaluation, and comply with treatment, according to Clallam County Prosecutor Mark Nichols.

Marsh-Backs was determined by Stanley to be indigent, so his legal financial obligations were waived in court.

OPNET began its investigation in March following information that Marsh-Backs sold controlled substances out of a hotel room at 7 Cedars Casino and Hotel.

OPNET, and officers with Clallam County Sheriff’s Office and Sequim Police Department recovered 196.37 grams of fentanyl and a .45 caliber Glock during their warrant search. Marsh-Backs is a convicted felon and was unlawfully in possession of the weapon, according to investigators.

Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Michele Devlin said in court on July 9 that after Marsh-Backs was charged in this case, he bailed out of jail and was soon thereafter arrested in Kitsap County for similar charges, which remain pending. Devlin said Marsh-Backs had no known ties to the area and “came to Clallam County for purposes of delivering fentanyl.”

Jonathan Karns, 44, of Port Orchard, and Johnny Watts, 50, were also arrested during the investigation. They rejected plea offers and now face federal court charges.

Karns was allegedly found with fentanyl, a digital scale with residue, documentation of drug sales, a 9mm pistol, and a bolt-action shotgun. He faces charges of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and unlawful possession of a firearm.

Watts, a former Clallam County Drug Court coordinator, faces charges of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, and unlawful possession of a firearm.

During the warrant search, the Sheriff’s Office reported that law enforcement seized nearly 262 grams of fentanyl, more than 515 grams of methamphetamine, more than 30 grams of suspected cocaine, 147 Suboxone strips, two shotguns, a rifle, seven pistols, multiple scales, packaging, and approximately $18,980 in cash.

Nichols said that fentanyl has ravaged communities across the North Olympic Peninsula for years.

“This sentence should serve as a reminder to those who deal drugs that Clallam County is a jurisdiction that will aggressively prosecute dealers to the fullest extent of the law,” he said.