A new prosecuting attorney targeting large-scale drug traffickers in Spokane is a Ferris High School and Gonzaga University School of Law graduate who is following in her father’s footsteps as a Spokane federal prosecutor.
Annika Tangvald, 27, was sworn in last month as a special assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington as part of a partnership between the city of Spokane and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The position is funded by the city through cannabis tax dollars, but Tangvald will prosecute drug cases in federal court in an effort to disrupt the supply of fentanyl and other drugs that are wreaking havoc on the city and its residents, according to officials.
“It’s a great opportunity and it’s a great resource just for Spokane to have one prosecutor really focusing in on trying to curb the drug addictions and the drug-related trafficking in our community,” Tangvald said.
Tangvald was born and raised in Spokane and graduated with a law degree from Gonzaga in 2023. She then worked at the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office where she prosecuted lower level crimes, like drunken driving, theft and simple possession charges, in Spokane County District Court before she was promoted to the office’s felony unit and focused on property crimes, and later, domestic violence cases, she said.
During law school, she interned at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, where her father worked as an assistant U.S. attorney for 22 years before leaving the office a decade ago. She said she grew up in the office, spending time with her father, Rolf Tangvald, and reading case studies.
“I knew from a very young age that prosecution is where I wanted to end up and I knew that this office is where my home was,” Tangvald said. “So, I’m really excited to be back in this office, kind of following in his footsteps a little bit.”
She said she learned a great deal from county and federal prosecutors during her time with them, and one of her mentors at the U.S. Attorney’s Office notified her about the position.
“I gratefully accepted (the position) because I know how important this role is and it means a lot to me as a Spokane native, but also as somebody whose dream has been always to get back to this office,” Tangvald said.
City Prosecutor Justin Bingham, one of Tangvald’s supervisors and who was also involved in the hiring process, said Tangvald’s “enthusiasm” and “sheer intelligence” stood out.
“She really wants to be a prosecutor,” Bingham said. “I believe, at least my impression was that prosecution was her life calling and that she wants to do good for her community.”
He said he believes her passion for the position is why she will excel in it. Tangvald’s success at the county prosecutor’s office eliminated any fears about her limited professional experience, Bingham said.
“She has really become a very good prosecutor in a very short period of time and her colleagues at the county prosecutor’s office had very, very good things to say about her work ethic as well as her skills,” Bingham said. “My opinion was that kind of work ethic and those kind of skills at a young age, there’s only a lot of upside to bring her on board.”
Bingham said special roles like Tangvald’s new position are prevalent in the U.S. and are a way for the U.S. Attorney’s Office and local jurisdictions to share resources and focus on special projects, like drug trafficking in this case. The city of Spokane previously partnered with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to establish an attorney to work domestic violence and gun cases. That position no longer exists, he said.
Tangvald’s position is funded by cannabis sales tax money the city receives from the state. The Spokane City Council authorized the use of the tax revenue, called “Cannabis Special Revenue Fund,” to fund the position for two years, Bingham said.
“My hope is that this will show results and that it’ll be a no-brainer to go back to council and ask for a renewal of the agreement,” he said.
Spokane is ‘hub’ for drug trafficking
Overdose deaths continue to increase each year in Spokane County, according to previous Spokesman-Review reporting.
At least 327 people died of overdose last year in the county, a more than 300% increase from 2019, when there were 80 deaths, according to the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Many of the defendants Tangvald prosecuted for drug possession crimes were addicted to drugs and often didn’t even know what was in the drug they were using, Tangvald said. Fentanyl is often mixed with another drug someone is intending to use, leading to overdoses.
Drug use can also often lead to major crimes, including theft, gun- and gang-related crimes, she said.
“This position being opened up really allows me to focus on the individuals who are bringing those drugs into our community, so not just our simple possession type charges, not the people who are distributing just small amounts, but those individuals who are distributing a lot of drugs into our community,” she said.
Acting U.S. Attorney Richard Barker said in a news release about Tangvald’s hiring that his Eastern Washington office is committed to combating the opioid epidemic.
“We see the impact of fentanyl and other drugs in almost every case we prosecute – including violent crime, firearms trafficking, prosecution of transnational gangs and cartels, and even in some of our fraud and human trafficking cases,” Barker said in the release. “Having a dedicated prosecutor for these cases allows the U.S. Attorney’s Office to bring more cases specifically focused on the City of Spokane.”
City spokeswoman Erin Hut said the city has taken a variety of approaches to combat the fentanyl crisis.
“One thing that has been missing is a focus on the supply side of the opioid crisis, and so the intent here is to have somebody specifically focused on drug trafficking and narcotics prosecution in the city of Spokane,” Hut said.
She called Spokane a “hub” for drug trafficking and distribution.
“We need to invest in treatment and solutions for those suffering from the opioid crisis, but we also need to figure out how best to disrupt the supply and this is one of those steps to do that,” Hut said.
Bingham also said Tangvald’s goal to reduce the flow of fentanyl and limit the amount of the drug on the streets is another approach to combating the fentanyl epidemic.
“The position I think is very important because it’s another tool in the fight against the fentanyl epidemic in the Spokane region,” Bingham said. “We have so much fentanyl on the streets that’s causing so much harm that many times, by the time individuals come into contact with the criminal justice system, they’re already very well into their addiction and it’s very difficult to get them out of that addiction.”
