Evansville Drug Dealer Sentenced to Three Years in Federal Prison After Investigators Locate 2,000 Fake Pills Laced with Fentanyl

EVANSVILLE- Andre Lamont Wright Jr., 29, of Evansville, has been sentenced to three years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

According to court documents, prior to December 2022, law enforcement officers received information that Wright was selling large quantities of fentanyl-laced counterfeit "M30" oxycodone pills. On December 7, 2022, investigators with the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Evansville Police Department observed Wright conduct a drug deal outside of his Evansville home. Officers stopped the buyer for a traffic violation after leaving Wright's home and recovered approximately eighteen counterfeit M30 fentanyl pills.

Officers conducted a court-authorized search of Wright's home and found approximately 2,000 counterfeit "M30" pills containing fentanyl, a digital scale, a 9mm semiautomatic handgun, 9mm ammunition, plastic bags, and $453 in cash.

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.

"Fentanyl traffickers are responsible for incalculable damage to our families and communities, peddling deadly pills with utter disregard for human life," said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. "Just one of these fake pills can kill, that's why we prioritize federal prosecution of the criminals who push this poison. Together with the Evansville Police Department and the DEA, our federal prosecutors will continue working to remove fentanyl and fentanyl dealers from our neighborhoods."

The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Evansville Police Department investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young.

U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd S. Shellenbarger, who prosecuted this case.

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.

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