Tennessee Man, 35, Jailed for Multi-State Opioid Ring

A federal judge in Tennessee has slammed the lid shut on a 35-year-old man’s operation of a multi-state opioid trafficking ring, handing down a 10-year prison sentence.

According to court documents, Mark Collins, 35, of Memphis, Tennessee, was the mastermind behind a ring that distributed thousands of doses of heroin, fentanyl, and other illicit opioids across several states.

U.S. District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman delivered the verdict in the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, which heard the case against Collins.

Prosecutors alleged that Collins and his associates smuggled the opioids from Mexico and distributed them to buyers in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Missouri.

Law enforcement cracked the case in 2022, following a series of raids and arrests that yielded over $100,000 in cash, several vehicles, and dozens of kilograms of illicit substances.

Collins’ defense team had argued for a lighter sentence, citing his lack of prior convictions and cooperation with investigators. However, the judge deemed the severity of the crimes and the harm caused by Collins’ actions to warrant a harsher penalty.

Collins is scheduled to begin serving his sentence in the coming weeks. His associates, several of whom await trial, face potentially lengthier sentences.