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EVANSVILLE FENTANYL RING SMASHED
Deriontai Mathis, 31, was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison for his role in a fentanyl trafficking operation.
A massive fentanyl trafficking operation that pumped thousands of deadly counterfeit pills into Evansville has been dismantled, with two men receiving a combined 16 years in federal prison.
Deriontai Mathis, 31, of Evansville, was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.
Mathis and his co-conspirator, Ernest Gilbert, 38, of Arizona, sold thousands of fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills in Evansville between September and November 2022. Gilbert would obtain the pills in Arizona and transport them to Indiana for Mathis to sell.
On November 10, 2022, investigators recovered 10,000 counterfeit M-30 fentanyl pills, $56,800 in cash, a body armor vest, and nine firearms from Mathis’s residence. Three additional handguns and a 12-gauge shotgun were found at another storage location.
Mathis was previously convicted of being a drug abuser in possession of a firearm in 2015, making it illegal for him to possess firearms. This investigation also led to the discovery that Jeremial Leach was a customer of Mathis, purchasing counterfeit fentanyl pills for $10 per pill. Leach was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison in May 2024 for dealing fentanyl resulting in at least three overdoses and a teen’s death.
“The sentences imposed here should serve as a warning: these poisons kill—and selling them will earn you decades in federal prison,” said John E. Childress, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana.
Ernest Gilbert, 38, of Arizona, was sentenced to five years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to distribution of fentanyl and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
The investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Evansville-Vanderburgh County Drug Task Force, and Evansville Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Wheatley prosecuted the case, and the sentences were imposed by U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young.
Acting U.S. Attorney Childress thanked Wheatley for her hard work in securing the convictions.
Key Facts
- State: Indiana
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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