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Brothers Sentenced to 35 Years for Fentanyl Trafficking
Two brothers from Corpus Christi, Texas, have been handed significant prison sentences for their role in manufacturing and distributing tens of thousands of fentanyl-laced pills disguised as legitimate pain medications.
Chad Williams Wesevich, 40, and his brother Jamie Wesevich, 41, pleaded guilty in August 2023 to conspiracy to manufacture and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
U.S. District Judge David S. Morales ordered both men to serve a total of 35 years in prison, with 360 months concurrent on the drug and money laundering charges, and a consecutive 60 months on the firearm charge.
The brothers acquired equipment and materials from foreign sources to manufacture pills disguised as legitimate medications such as hydrocodone. The equipment included two industrial pill presses capable of producing 9,000 pills per hour.
Authorities seized tens of thousands of counterfeit hydrocodone pills containing over 1,500 grams of fentanyl, as well as pill presses, pill dies, vacuums, separators, and other tools used in the illicit production of fentanyl-laced pills. In addition, law enforcement seized seven vehicles, five houses, seven guns, and $350,000 in cryptocurrency and bulk cash.
The brothers have been in custody since their arrests in May 2022 and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani praised the work of law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation, saying, “Synthetic opioids, like fentanyl, account for almost 70% of drug overdose deaths in the United States, and Corpus Christi is no stranger to this new epidemic.”
Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Daniel C. Comeaux added, “The exemplary work of DEA agents alongside our federal and state partners sought justice for the families of victims who lost their lives due to the poison spread by Chad Wesevich and his co-conspirators.”
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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