United States Drug Enforcement Administration

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Special Agent in Charge Ray Donovan, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; New York Division, and U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr., announced today Robert Ian Thatcher, 31, of Elmira, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, U-47700 and 100 grams or more of furanyl fentanyl, was sentenced to serve 23 years in prison by Chief U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett A. Harvey, who handled the case, stated that the defendant, along with co-conspirator Maximillian Sams, ran a large-scale opioid manufacturing and trafficking organization in the Southern Tier of New York and northern Pennsylvania between 2015 and May 2017. As part of the conspiracy, Thatcher and Sams imported bulk quantities of furanyl fentanyl and U-47700 from overseas suppliers China. They ordered the furanyl fentanyl and U-47700 on what is known as “the dark web,” and used different people and addresses in New York and Pennsylvania to receive the shipments. The defendant and Sams purchased equipment and materials – including pill presses/mechanical tableting machines, microcrystalline cellulose, lactose magnesium stearate, and powdered food coloring – which they used to manufacture tens of thousands blue pills containing furanyl fentanyl and U-47700. The pills were made to look like legitimate 30 milligram Percocet pills.

At least two individuals – a 21 year old female, and a 25 male – died after ingesting the blue pills containing furanyl fentanyl and U-47700. In addition, at least one individual – identified as J.M. – overdosed on more than one occasion after using the blue pills manufactured, but survived after being treated by first responders with Narcan.

Thatcher and Sams used residences at 604 South Lehigh Avenue in Sayre, Pennsylvania, and 665 Sawdey Road in Catlin, NY, to manufacture and process the pills for distribution. During the execution of a search warrant at the Sayre location on May 16, 2017, law enforcement agents recovered, among other things, 244 blue pills containing furanyl fentanyl, four long guns and ammunition. In addition, during the execution of a search warrant at the Catlin location on May 18, 2017, law enforcement agents recovered, among other things, materials used by the defendant and Sams to manufacture the pills for distribution. During the conspiracy, Thatcher also possessed several firearms at the Pennsylvania location and his residence in Elmira.

After manufacturing the pills, the defendant and Sams would distribute them in large quantities to other co-conspirators – including Anthony Prettyman, Jesus Rivera, Terrance Washington, and Dwayne Banks, a/k/a Fizzle, a/k/a Fizz, who would then distribute the pills to various street-level customers in the Elmira area. Pills were also supplied to an individual in the Charlotte, North Carolina area. As part of the conspiracy, Sams used co-conspirator Anthony Prettyman to transport 5,330 blue pills containing furanyl fentanyl from Elmira to North Carolina in October 2016. On Oct. 25, 2016, in North Carolina, deputies with the Iredell County (NC) Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle in which Prettyman was traveling. During a subsequent search, the deputies recovered and seized a paint can with a false bottom containing the 5,330 blue pills from inside Prettyman’s vehicle.

In early 2017, Thatcher arranged for a package of furanyl fentanyl, that he ordered over the dark web, to be sent to co-conspirator Carlito Rios, Jr. On March 13, 2017, Customs and Border Protection officers at the John F. Kennedy International Airport Mail Branch in Queens, NY, examined a United States Postal Service package addressed to co-conspirator Rios at 1015 Oak Street in Elmira. The sender was listed as an entity in China. Upon inspection, the package was found to contain approximately 249 grams of furanyl fentanyl. The defendant and Sams intended to use the seized furanyl fentanyl to manufacture and distribute additional quantities of the blue pills.

To date, 13 members and associates of the defendant’s opioid manufacturing and trafficking operation have been convicted of federal narcotics offenses. Each of those defendants is awaiting sentencing. Among them, Thatcher’s girlfriend, Amber Bates, who was convicted of money laundering conspiracy and sentenced to five years’ probation to include six months home detention. In addition, an Elmira resident, Isaiah McLaurin, was convicted in September 2017 of witness tampering, after he made threats on Facebook against an individual working with the Drug Enforcement Administration during the investigation. Chief Judge Geraci sentenced McLaurin to 57 months in federal prison.

Today’s sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Rochester Resident Office and DEA Scranton PA Resident Office; the New York State Police, Community Narcotics Enforcement Team Southern Tier; the Elmira Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New York Field Division; the Pennsylvania State Police; the Chemung County Sheriff’s Office; the Iredell, NC County Sheriff’s Office; and Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Unit. Additional assistance was provided by the DEA Northeast Regional Laboratory.