Two California men, Jack Scott Lewis and Michael Panoosi, have been sentenced to federal prison for trafficking large quantities of methamphetamine and heroin from California to Oregon.
EUGENE, Ore.—The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon announced today that Jack Scott Lewis, 36, of Los Angeles, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release. Lewis’s accomplice, Michael Panoosi, 56, also of California, was sentenced to 210 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release on June 6, 2022.
According to court documents, in December 2019, detectives from the Douglas Interagency Narcotics Team (DINT) began investigating Panoosi, a California-based drug dealer, for transporting large quantities of methamphetamine from California to Oregon for distribution and sale in Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, and Lane Counties. Investigators learned that Panoosi would transport several dozen pounds of methamphetamine on each trip from California and was known to use a driver to transport and deliver drugs. Panoosi had multiple prior drug convictions.
On October 11, 2020, Panoosi, Lewis, and another person were seen driving in Northern California toward Oregon. DINT detectives stopped and searched the group’s vehicle in Douglas County and found 46 pounds of methamphetamine and one pound of heroin. The detectives found more methamphetamine and three handguns in Lewis’s backpack. Two of the guns were loaded, two had obliterated serial numbers, and one had a high-capacity magazine. Another handgun and drug packaging material were found in Panoosi’s backpack.
On October 15, 2020, a federal grand jury in Eugene returned indictments charging Lewis and Panoosi with possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
On March 8, 2022, Panoosi pleaded guilty to possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Later, on June 6, 2022, Lewis pleaded guilty to the same charge. This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and DINT. It was prosecuted by Jeffrey S. Sweet, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
The Douglas Interagency Narcotics Team is a special investigative unit formed to combat illegal narcotics activity in Douglas County. DINT member agencies include Douglas County, including the Douglas County Sheriff and District Attorney’s Offices, the Oregon National Guard, Oregon State Police, and Roseburg Police Department.
Jack Scott Lewis’s exact criminal charges were possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Michael Panoosi’s exact criminal charges were also possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The crime occurred in Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, and Lane Counties. The investigation started in December 2019. The sentencing occurred on June 6, 2022, for Panoosi and 120 months in federal prison for Lewis.
This case is a prime example of the ongoing struggle against methamphetamine and heroin trafficking in the region. The sentences handed down to Lewis and Panoosi are a testament to the hard work and dedication of law enforcement agencies in Oregon and California.
Related Federal Cases
- John Doe, Methamphetamine Trafficking, Oregon 2022 · Idaho
- Dennis Richard DeChenne Jr, Methamphetamine Trafficking, Oregon 2023 · Idaho
- Dennis Richard DeChenne Jr., Methamphetamine Trafficking, Oregon 2023 · Idaho
- Lawrence Orlando Lee, Methamphetamine Trafficking, Oregon 2023 · South Dakota
- Steven Allen Longbrake, Methamphetamine Trafficking, Oregon 2015 · South Dakota
Key Facts
- State: Oregon
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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