Oregon Fentanyl Kingpin Sentenced to 15 Years Behind Bars

Medford, Ore.—A ruthless Jackson County drug dealer has been brought to justice after a lengthy investigation and trial. Anthony Ross Minneci, 36, was sentenced to 188 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release for his role in distributing fentanyl and other illicit substances.

According to court documents, Minneci resumed selling drugs throughout Southern Oregon after his release from prison in January 2019. He was charged in multiple cases in Jackson and Josephine County Circuit Courts for drug trafficking, illegally possessing firearms, and eluding police from early 2019 to March 2022.

On January 1, 2022, a deputy with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office observed a vehicle failing to stop at an intersection and driving at a high rate of speed. The deputy identified Minneci as the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle and pursued him briefly before Minneci got away. Later that evening, investigators found the vehicle unoccupied in a rural area, but were unable to locate Minneci.

On January 5, 2022, investigators executed a search warrant on the vehicle and located fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine, as well as a firearm, ammunition, and drug paraphernalia. Investigators also found items identifying Minneci, including a driver’s license. On March 15, 2022, Minneci was arrested in Siskiyou County, California, following another attempt to elude police. At the time of his arrest, Minneci was found in possession of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and two firearms.

The cases against Minneci were investigated by the Medford Area Drug and Gang Enforcement Team (MADGE) with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Rogue Area Drug Enforcement Team (RADE), Oregon State Police, the Jackson County Sheriff and District Attorney’s Offices, Medford Police Department, and the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Marco A. Boccato, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

The Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement initiatives. MADGE is a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force that identifies, disrupts, and dismantles local, multi-state, and international drug trafficking organizations using an intelligence-driven, multi-agency prosecutor-supported approach.