Three Sentenced In Alabama For Trafficking Heroin And Fentanyl
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - A federal judge today sentenced three Birmingham residents for conspiring to traffic nearly $2 million worth of heroin and fentanyl, announced Drug Enforcement (DEA) Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Bret Hamilton and Acting U.S. Attorney Robert O. Posey.
A U.S. District Court Judge sentenced Onandas Carmece Beard, 19, to five years in prison; Anthony Levy Alexander, 57, to eight years and nine months in prison, and Betty Levy Alexander, 50, to nine years and five months in prison. Each of the defendants last year pleaded guilty to the conspiracy, acknowledging their involvement in the distribution of multiple kilograms of heroin and fentanyl between September 2015 and October 2016 in Jefferson County.
“Heroin abuse is a growing drug problem across the nation, including here in Alabama,” Hamilton said. “Overdoses from heroin and heroin laced with fentanyl have increased dramatically and are destroying countless number of lives. It only takes a few grains of pure fentanyl for an immediate death sentence. DEA and our law enforcement partners will continue to investigate those who distribute this poison in our communities with no regard for the destruction they cause.”
“The Birmingham Metro Area and other parts of North Alabama have seen a dramatic rise in the number of overdose deaths attributed to fentanyl or a combination of heroin and fentanyl,” Posey said. “Most heroin users have no idea whether the drug they are using contains fentanyl, and while heroin can be deadly, fentanyl is much more potent. Our office is committed to the kind of joint law enforcement effort that took down this large-scale supply operation and, undoubtedly, saved lives.”
The remaining six defendants in the case are scheduled for sentencing on May 9, June 29, and July 27. They are: Anthony Levy Ward, 36, of Chelsea, Ferlando Carmise Mims, 19, and Corey Darnelle Haynes, 37, both of Birmingham, and Jose Agustin Gutierrez, 31, Jesus Ubaldo Montoya, 23, and Marahai Ardizo Enriquez, 25, all of Phoenix, Ariz.
The indictment in the case sought a $1.7 million monetary judgment against the defendants as proceeds of illegal activity. The amount of fentanyl trafficked in the conspiracy was about 4.6 kilograms, or nearly 233,000 user doses of the drug. The total amount of heroin trafficked was about 5 kilograms, or approximately 50,000 user doses.
Betty Alexander was responsible for trafficking 4.6 kilograms of pure fentanyl and Anthony Alexander, her brother, with trafficking 5 kilograms of heroin and 1.5 kilograms of fentanyl.
The DEA investigated the case in conjunction with the Birmingham and Hoover Police Departments and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Parents and children are encouraged to educate themselves about the dangers of drugs by visiting DEA’s interactive websites at www.JustThinkTwice.com, www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com and www.dea.gov.
