United States Drug Enforcement Administration

EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Michael Gannon, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration-Indianapolis and U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers for the Southern District of Indiana announced a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging six individuals for their alleged roles in a conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine in Southern Indiana and Western Kentucky:

According to the indictment, on numerous occasions between June 1, 2023, through December 5, 2023, the alleged traffickers were responsible for possessing and distributing more than 50 pounds of methamphetamine, 14,000 fentanyl pills, and 1 kilogram of cocaine. 

Lovechild McGuire allegedly served as the leader and supervisor of the drug trafficking operation. McGuire obtained the methamphetamine from an unknown source of supply and stored it in homes belonging to Carter and Outlaw. Carter also rented a storage unit in her name to store the controlled substances for McGuire. McGuire’s distributors, Flax, Ranes, Marion, and Carter, sold the drugs throughout Southern Indiana and Western Kentucky. 

The Drug Enforcement Administration and Evansville Vanderburgh Country Drug Task Force investigated this case. This case is part of the Indiana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program. If convicted, each defendant faces up to life in federal prison.

U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorney Lauren M. Wheatley, who is prosecuting this case.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, as little as two milligrams of fentanyl can be fatal, depending on a person’s body size, tolerance, and past usage—a tiny amount that can fit on the tip of a pencil. Seven out of ten illegal fentanyl tablets seized from U.S. streets and analyzed by the DEA have been found to contain a potentially lethal dose of the drug.

One Pill Can Kill: Avoid pills bought on the street because One Pill Can Kill. Fentanyl has now become the leading cause of death for adults in the United States. Fentanyl is a highly potent opioid that drug dealers dilute with cutting agents to make counterfeit prescription pills that appear to be Oxycodone, Percocet, Xanax, and other drugs. Fake prescription pills laced with fentanyl are usually shaped and colored to look like pills sold at pharmacies. For example, fake prescription pills known as “M30s” imitate Oxycodone obtained from a pharmacy, but when sold on the street the pills routinely contain fentanyl. These pills are usually round tablets and often light blue in color, though they may be in different shapes and a rainbow of colors. They often have “M” and “30” imprinted on opposite sides of the pill. Do not take these or any other pills bought on the street – they are routinely fake and poisonous, and you won’t know until it’s too late. 

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.