David Landis, Conspiracy to Import and Distribute Controlled Substances, Pennsylvania 2021

PHILADELPHIA, PA – A former Montgomery County Deputy Sheriff is facing a lengthy prison sentence after being convicted of orchestrating a massive opioid distribution network that stretched across the United States and beyond. David Landis, 44, of Norristown, PA, was sentenced to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $6,300 assessment by U.S. District Court Judge Gerald J. Pappert. The sentence follows Landis’s guilty plea in October 2018 to a litany of drug-related charges, including conspiracy to import and distribute controlled substances.

The scope of Landis’s crimes is staggering. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import controlled substances, conspiracy to distribute those substances, possession with intent to distribute, maintaining a drug-involved premises, and a shocking 58 counts of distributing controlled substances. One count specifically involved the distribution of the potent opioid U-47700 to an individual who suffered serious bodily injury. Investigators found that numerous other distributions by Landis led to overdoses, with the same deadly substances he shipped turning up in the systems of those who fatally overdosed.

Federal prosecutors detailed how Landis acted as a key distributor in an international drug operation originating in China. From early 2016 to March 2017, Landis conspired with Deyao Chen, Guichun Chen, and Liangtu Pan – all operating under the online alias “Alex” – to import and distribute thousands of packages containing furanyl fentanyl, U-47700, and methoxyacetyl fentanyl. The Chinese co-conspirators advertised these deadly substances online, taking payments and forwarding orders to Landis, who handled the U.S. distribution.

Landis, leveraging his position and knowledge, received shipments of narcotics from China and then repackaged and mailed them through the United States Postal Service to customers nationwide and internationally. In less than a year, he processed and shipped approximately 2,900 packages of illicit drugs, effectively flooding communities with poison. The investigation revealed a callous disregard for human life, with Landis prioritizing profit over the well-being of those consuming the substances he distributed. Chen, Chen, and Pan remain at-large, believed to be in China.

“This investigation uncovered illegal drug manufacturers in China who were flooding the United States with poison in the form of deadly opioids,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams. “The fact that this defendant – a former law enforcement officer – would help them do so is a travesty. Landis sent deadly drugs across this country and abroad, with no regard for the health or safety of others. The community will be a safer place with him behind bars for the foreseeable future.”

Brian A. Michael, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), added, “David Landis was formerly in a position of public trust and turned to distributing deadly drugs throughout Montgomery county and beyond, which in some cases resulted in an overdose. Today’s sentencing sends a message to those narcotics traffickers who act with little regard for law or human life, that Homeland Security Investigations and our law enforcement partners will ensure that you are held accountable for your criminal acts.” The case underscores the growing threat of international drug trafficking and the devastating impact of synthetic opioids on American communities.

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