ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Terrance Washington, 32, of Elmira, NY, is headed to federal prison for 135 months after being convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, 100 grams or more of a fentanyl analogue, and witness retaliation. The sentence was handed down by Chief U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr., effectively ending Washington’s role in a deadly opioid trafficking operation that flooded the Southern Tier of New York and northern Pennsylvania with fake Percocet pills.
Federal prosecutors detailed how Washington acted as a key distributor for a large-scale operation led by Robert Ian Thatcher and Maximillian Sams. Between 2015 and May 2017, the trio sourced potent fentanyl analogues – furanyl fentanyl, acetyl fentanyl, and U-47700 – directly from suppliers in China via the dark web. They weren’t just dealing; they were manufacturing. The operation included pill presses, mixing agents, and even food coloring, all used to churn out tens of thousands of counterfeit pills designed to mimic legitimate 15mg and 30mg Percocet.
This wasn’t a victimless crime. At least two people – a 21-year-old woman and a 25-year-old man – died after consuming these deceptively dangerous pills. Another individual suffered multiple overdoses, narrowly surviving thanks to the quick intervention of first responders armed with Narcan. The organization operated out of two locations: 604 South Lehigh Avenue in Sayre, Pennsylvania, and 665 Sawdey Road in Catlin, NY. A search of the Sayre location in May 2017 turned up 244 of the deadly blue pills, along with four long guns and ammunition.
The reach of Thatcher and Sams extended beyond New York and Pennsylvania. They supplied pills to a contact in Charlotte, North Carolina, utilizing co-conspirator Anthony Prettyman to transport 5,330 blue pills in October 2016. Prettyman was caught during a traffic stop in Iredell County, NC, with the pills hidden inside a paint can with a false bottom. Further upstream, in early 2017, Thatcher arranged for a shipment of 249 grams of furanyl fentanyl from China, intercepted by Customs and Border Protection at JFK Airport, destined for Carlito Rios, Jr. in Elmira.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett A. Harvey, who prosecuted the case, laid out the network: Washington, along with Jesus Rivera, Anthony Prettyman, and Dwayne Banks (a/k/a Fizzle, a/k/a Fizz) all served as downstream distributors, pushing the pills to street-level customers in the Elmira area. The operation was a calculated gamble with human lives, and today’s sentencing sends a clear message that those who profit from the opioid crisis will be held accountable.
The investigation, which spanned years, underscores the relentless flow of illicit fentanyl from overseas and the devastating consequences it has on communities across the nation. While Washington’s imprisonment marks a significant blow to this particular organization, the fight against the opioid epidemic is far from over. The U.S. Attorney’s Office continues to pursue all leads and prosecute those responsible for trafficking these deadly substances.
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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