Sacramento Area Group Charged for Shipping Fentanyl Pills Across the United States
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a 17-count indictment Thursday against Sacramento residents Marcus Miller, 33; Reginald Jones, 33; Felicia Shaw, 31; Jimmy Van II, 38; and Jazzmine Campbell, 30; charging them with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, in addition to other drug and gun charges, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, the conspirators shipped hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills around the country for more than a year. On several occasions, law enforcement seized packages shipped by Miller, Jones, and their co-conspirators, and found fentanyl pills, often hidden inside children’s toys. In total, law enforcement seized approximately 450,000 fentanyl pills connected to the conspiracy through seized shipments and search warrants. Based on additional evidence, law enforcement estimates that members of the conspiracy have shipped more than one million fentanyl pills to customers in several different states.
During searches connected to the conspiracy, agents found hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills, over $80,000 in cash, and 17 firearms. Some of the pills and firearms were hidden inside secret compartments in the vehicles of Miller and Jones.
This case was the result of a joint investigation between the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Sacramento Police Department, the Folsom Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Citrus Heights Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexis Klein and Ross Pearson are prosecuting the case.
If convicted, all defendants face a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison, and a $10 million fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This case is part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.) a program designed to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas as well as identifying wholesale distribution networks and international and domestic suppliers. In July 2018, the Justice Department announced the creation of S.O.S., which is being implemented in the Eastern District of California and nine other federal districts.
