SEATTLE: Zimbabwean man who illegally crossed into U.S. pleads guilty to gun, drug charges

By MyBellinghamNow.com

SEATTLE: A man who illegally crossed into the U.S. with a stolen canoe has pleaded guilty to gun and drug charges.

Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller says that 30-year-old Tatenda Banga of Zimbabwe has been in federal custody since December 2024.

My Bellingham Now previously reported information from Whatcom County Sheriff’s that the man was Canadian and that the National Parks Service captured footage of Banga stealing a canoe on the north end of Ross Lake.

Banga was found walking along the North Cascades Highway by Border Patrol agents a short time later.

He didn’t have any documentation that allowed him to be in the U.S., but agents seized nearly 1.5 pounds of MDMA from his backpack.

Investigators later learned that Banga had previously attempted to enter the U.S. in January 2024 while armed with a shotgun. In that incident, Banga defaced at least two border cameras and was able to run from authorities.

His gun was later recovered in the woods, but detectives were unable to find a fingerprint match until his December arrest.

Banga’s sentencing is scheduled for June 12.