DETROIT – A Houston, Texas resident and leader of the violent Jackson street gang the ‘Thorough Bread Family,’ Tamarious ‘Poogi’ Faulkner, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute over 400 grams of fentanyl, Acting United States Attorney Julie A. Beck announced today.
Faulkner, 28, of Houston, Texas, was the leader of the Thorough Bread Family (TBF), a violent street gang that primarily operated in Jackson, Michigan. In his plea, Faulkner admitted that he was the leader of the conspiracy and that he and his co-conspirators distributed large amounts of fentanyl in Jackson. Unlike most fentanyl, typically sold in powder form, TBF’s fentanyl was sold in a rock-like crystalline form, and was often colored yellow, purple, or blue, rather than the usual white.
The fentanyl sold by the gang also had a unique texture and coloring. Faulkner and his fellow gang members also possessed firearms and machine guns in furtherance of the fentanyl trafficking conspiracy.
According to court documents, Faulkner and his co-conspirators distributed large amounts of fentanyl in Jackson, resulting in a significant threat to public safety. Six other co-conspirators have already been sentenced to prison time for their roles in the conspiracy.
As part of the plea agreement, Faulkner faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Faulkner is scheduled to be sentenced on April 29, 2025, before Judge Stephen J. Murphy, III.
Faulkner’s co-conspirators have already received significant prison time for their roles in the conspiracy. The sentences for the other defendants include:
Demond Johns, age 27 of Jackson: 128 months’ prison
Dominque Faulkner, age 33 of Jackson: 126 months’ prison
Zaire Faulkner, age 26 of Jackson: 120 months’ prison
Demarquan Smith, age 23 of Jackson: 120 months’ prison
Tommy Owens, age 33 of Jackson: 87 months’ prison
Mario Murguia, age 24 of Jackson: 60 months’ prison
‘As is so often the case when drugs and gangs intersect, TBF wreaked havoc on a community by peddling poison and protecting their drug business with violence,’ Acting U.S. Attorney Beck said. ‘The United States Attorney’s Office, in coordination with our federal, state, and local partners, will aggressively investigate and prosecute individuals, groups, and gangs like TBF who do so much to corrode public safety and the well-being of a community.’
‘Today’s guilty plea is a huge win for the Jackson community,’ said James Deir, ATF Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Division. ‘The Thorough Bred gang and Dominque Faulkner let their greed and desire for power guide their violent pathway straight into prison like a yellow brick road.’
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with the Michigan State Police, Jackson Police Department, and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew R. Picek, Matthew Roth, and Craig Welkener.
Related Federal Cases
- Cornelius Nelson, Fentanyl Conspiracy, Indiana 2021 · Texas
- Rosenaldo Benitez Jr, Fentanyl Conspiracy, Texas 2024 · Michigan
- Lansing Heroin, Fentanyl Trafficking Ring Busted, Michigan 2023 · Indiana
- Gary R. Hill Sr., Heroin and Cocaine Trafficking, Michigan 2024 · Texas
- Terrance Lamont Hines, Fentanyl Distribution with Death, Tennessee 2020 · Michigan
Key Facts
- State: Michigan
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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