Tommy Savanh Nammixay, 40, stands accused of leading a sprawling marijuana trafficking ring that hauled over 100 kilograms of high-grade pot from Colorado Springs straight into the heart of Oklahoma. Federal authorities say Nammixay wasn’t just moving weight—he was running a machine, orchestrating at least 49 cross-state trips to flood Oklahoma City and beyond with illicit drugs.
The conspiracy, laid bare in a May 13, 2019 criminal complaint, names seven others alongside Nammixay: CHRISTOPHER BLAND BYRNE, 40; ANDREW CORY EAVES, SR., 47; TERRY DON BROWNE, 34; LAWRENCE JOSEPH HARDEN, 33; RALPH ARTHUR GOLDEN, 59; Johnnie Wilmire Vinavong, 41; and ILIANA MACIAS, 29. All eight are charged with conspiracy to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana, a crime punishable by up to 40 years in prison and a $5,000,000 fine. A mandatory minimum of five years looms for each if convicted.
The operation began unraveling in September 2016 when the Norman Police Department conducted controlled buys of marijuana and cocaine, eventually tracing supply lines back to Nammixay. A years-long DEA investigation followed, deploying GPS tracking and physical surveillance to expose the network. Investigators allege Nammixay used a two-vehicle system: he drove the lead car while a co-conspirator hauled hundreds of pounds of marijuana in a second vehicle. Upon arrival in Oklahoma City, the drugs were stashed in safe houses under Nammixay’s control.
Law enforcement intercepted six separate loads during traffic stops, seizing a staggering 278.35 pounds of marijuana. The scale and precision of the operation suggest a professionally run syndicate, one that exploited Colorado’s legal cannabis market to feed Oklahoma’s underground demand. Authorities believe the network operated without significant disruption for over a year, moving massive quantities with military timing.
Nammixay was taken into custody in the predawn hours of May 20, 2019. At an evidentiary hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge Bernard M. Jones ordered him detained without bond, citing both flight risk and danger to the community after evidence revealed the possession of more than 40 weapons tied to the operation. The weapons detail shocked even seasoned federal prosecutors.
The case was jointly investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Norman Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, Internal Revenue Service—Criminal Investigations, and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tom Snyder and David Petermann are handling prosecution. The public is reminded this charge is merely an allegation—each defendant, including TOMMY SAVANH NAMMIXAY, 40, is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Key Facts
- State: Oklahoma
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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