Nickie Jo Mattison, Fentanyl Distribution, Texas 2024

A Texarkana woman has been sentenced to 17 years in federal prison for her role in a fentanyl distribution conspiracy that resulted in the deaths of three people and left one seriously injured.

Nickie Jo Mattison, also known as Nickie Hall, 34, was sentenced to 204 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Robert W. Schroeder III on August 21, 2024. Mattison pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.

According to information presented in court, between September 2021 and August 2022, Mattison conspired with at least three others to distribute fentanyl. The group distributed thousands of blue pills stamped to mimic 30mg oxycontin pills, known on the streets as ‘M-30s.’

However, the pills were counterfeit and contained fentanyl. As a result, three people died and one person was seriously injured after using the drugs. Mattison sold the pills that killed one of the overdose victims.

Courtney Lewis was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison, while Darrell ‘Monty’ Trotter was sentenced to 168 months for their roles in the conspiracy. Christopher ‘Candyman’ Candelaria and Kolton Saulsbury have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. The effort aims to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States.

The case was investigated by the Texarkana Texas Police Department, the Texarkana Arkansas Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigation Division, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Locker and Jonathan Hornok prosecuted the case.

Nickie Jo Mattison’s exact criminal charges are conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. The case originated in Texarkana, Texas. Mattison received a 17-year prison sentence, which translates to 204 months, on August 21, 2024.

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