Counterfeit Pills Laced with Fentanyl Get Burgaw Man 16.5 Years in Prison
Thousands of Pills Found in Package with Toys and Candy
Fake pills laced with fentanyl
RALEIGH, N.C. – Timothy Mark Blackmon, a 29-year-old resident of Burgaw, has been sentenced to 198 months in prison for possessing counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl with the intent to distribute them in the Wilmington area. The counterfeit pills were made to look like a variety of prescription drugs, including Percocet, Hydrocodone and Oxycodone. Blackmon pled guilty on August 15, 2023.
“Counterfeit pills laced with deadly fentanyl are made in makeshift labs with no quality control. They are driving American addiction and overdoses at a staggering rate,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “Never take a pill that wasn’t prescribed by your doctor. It could be your last. This defendant hid fentanyl pills in a bag of M&Ms and stashed thousands of pills in air vents in his home. The DEA and Pender County Sheriff’s Office did incredible work getting these pills off the street and may have saved lives.”
According to court documents and other information presented in court, in November of 2021 law enforcement received information that Blackmon was distributing counterfeit fentanyl pills throughout the Wilmington area. Law enforcement began an investigation and learned that Blackmon would travel to California to purchase the pills. Blackmon would then ship the counterfeit pills through the U.S. Postal Service (USPSS) back to the Eastern District of North Carolina for further distribution. During the investigation law enforcement learned that Blackmon had recently traveled to California. On November 18, 2021, law enforcement located Blackmon at the San Diego Airport preparing to board a plane to travel back to North Carolina. Blackmon was found to be in possession of a counterfeit fentanyl pill, more than $7000 in cash, and a USPS receipt for a package that had been shipped on November 16, 2021, destined for Wilmington, N.C. Ultimately, law enforcement located the package which contained more than five thousand of counterfeit fentanyl pills concealed in a package that contained toys and candy, including some pills hidden in a bag of candy.
On November 19, 2021, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Pender County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at Blackmon’s residence during which law enforcement seized more than 11,000 counterfeit fentanyl pills concealed in air vents in Blackmon’s bedroom, over $87,000 in cash, and a small amount of cocaine. Flight records for Blackmon obtained by law enforcement also confirmed repeated trips to California and Arizona from March of 2021 through November of 2021. Information presented to the Court established that Blackmon would travel to California approximately once a month to purchase approximately 5,000-10,000 fentanyl pills from his source of supply and have them shipped back to North Carolina for further distribution. A DEA analysis of the pills found in the search confirmed the presence of fentanyl.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Pender County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer C. Nucci prosecuted the case.
The DEA encourages parents, along with their children, to educate themselves about the dangers of legal and illegal drugs by visiting DEA’s interactive websites at www.JustThinkTwice.com, www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com, www.CampusDrugPrevention.gov, and www.dea.gov . Also follow DEA Atlanta via Twitter at @DEAATLANTADiv
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