United States Drug Enforcement Administration

MILWAUKEE - John G. McGarry, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration-Milwaukee, and U.S. Attorney Gregory J. Haanstad for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on Aug. 21, 2023, Senior U.S. District Court Judge William C. Griesbach sentenced Marianna KJ Zimmer, 20, of Green Bay, Wisconsin, to a total sentence of eight years’ imprisonment and eight years of supervised release after Zimmer pled guilty to possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, and possession of a firearm as a convicted felon.

According to court filings, in August 2022, while Zimmer was on probation for a prior felony conviction, Wisconsin probation agents arrested Zimmer and learned that from jail she was directing a friend to hide and destroy evidence of Zimmer’s fentanyl trafficking. Probation agents, with assistance from the Brown County Drug Task Force, successfully recovered and seized over 8,400 fake pharmaceutical pills containing fentanyl, over $38,500 in U.S. currency, and a stolen and loaded .45-caliber pistol. The fentanyl was in the form of blue pills imprinted with “M30” to mimic the legitimate prescription drug. 

In sentencing Zimmer, Judge Griesbach stressed that Zimmer’s fentanyl trafficking and unlawful firearm possession were serious offenses that presented a danger to the public, warranting significant punishment and a strong deterrent message to others. The judge also stressed that Zimmer’s offense was aggravated because she posted numerous images and videos of herself on Facebook in which she glamorized the life of a drug dealer, posing with large amounts of cash that she made by distributing drugs.

This case was investigated by the Brown County Drug Task Force and the DEA.