Dennis R. Thacker Jr, Alpha-PVP Distribution, Illinois 2018

Bath Salts Busted A 49-year-old man from Alma, Illinois, has been charged with conspiracy and distribution of the highly addictive and potent synthetic stimulant Alpha-Pyrrolidinopentiophenone, commonly referred to as ‘bath salts.’

Dennis R. Thacker, Jr., 49, of Alma, Illinois, was indicted on January 4, 2018, on charges related to Alpha-PVP, in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury, Donald S. Boyce, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today.

The indictment, which was unsealed on January 4, 2018, charges Thacker, Jr. in a three-count indictment. Count 1 alleges that from 2016, until on or about December 2017, in Clay County and Marion County, and elsewhere, Thacker, Jr. conspired to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, Alpha-PVP, a Schedule I controlled substance, in violation of federal law.

Count 2 charges that on June 2, 2017, in Clay County, Thacker, Jr. distributed a mixture or substance containing Alpha-PVP. Count 3 charges that on June 2, 2017, in Marion County, Thacker, Jr. possessed with the intent to distribute a mixture or substance containing Alpha-PVP.

With respect to all three counts, Thacker, Jr. faces on each count up to 20 years of imprisonment, up to a $1,000,000 fine, supervised release of at least three years, and a $100 special assessment.

An Indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Flora Police Department, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and the Southeastern Illinois Drug Task Force.

Thacker, Jr. is scheduled to appear in court for an arraignment on January 17, 2018, at 1:00 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Staci M. Yandle in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois.

Related Federal Cases