Federal Jury Convicts Berrien County Man Of Possession With Intent To Distribute Controlled Substances

<_w3a_listitem listvalue="Choose an item."><_w3a_listitem listvalue="GRAND RAPIDS" datavalue="GRAND RAPIDS"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="KALAMAZOO" datavalue="KALAMAZOO"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="MARQUETTE" datavalue="MARQUETTE"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="LANSING" datavalue="LANSING"> GRAND RAPIDS - U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten today announced that a federal jury convicted Willie David Lark, 53, of Benton Township, Michigan, of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, 40 grams or more of fentanyl, and quantities of cocaine and cocaine base. Lark will be sentenced at a later date.

"Illicit street drugs can kill," said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. "In particular, xylazine and fentanyl drug mixtures place users at a higher risk of suffering a fatal drug poisoning. Just a speck of fentanyl can be lethal, and naloxone (Narcan) does not reverse the potentially deadly effects of xylazine. While we can never prosecute our way out of a drug epidemic, my office is committed to disrupting the flow of these poisons into our communities."

According to evidence admitted at trial, in August 2022, investigators searched Lark's residence in Benton Township, Michigan in connection with an ongoing drug investigation. Inside Lark's safe, investigators found over 188 grams of 100% pure methamphetamine, also known as "ice," over 100 grams of a mixture containing fentanyl and xylazine, over 70 grams of cocaine, and over 31 grams of cocaine base. Investigators found additional evidence inside the house that proved Lark intended to sell these drugs.

The jury also heard that approximately two weeks later, in September 2022, when investigators arrested Lark, they found additional quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, and cocaine base in his pants pocket that he intended to sell. In Lark's truck, investigators also found a key to the safe in his residence that was previously searched and found to contain drugs.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (see here and here), in 2023 at least 107,543 people died from drug poisoning across the United States, which is near the all-time high of 111,029 deaths in 2022. In Michigan, at least 2,931 people died from drug poisoning in 2023. Approximately 75% of the 2023 drug poisoning deaths across the United States were due to fentanyl. While 2024 data shows the number of deaths has started to decline, the number remains high. Learn more about the dangers of xylazine, a non-opioid sedative or tranquilizer, here.

The following services are available for people experiencing addiction, or their friends and loved ones:

• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Helpline, 1-800-662-4357, www.samhsa.gov/find-support/in-crisis.
• Cope Network (providing free Naloxone and other harm reduction services in Barry, Berrien, Branch, Cass, Calhoun, St. Joseph, and Van Buren Counties), 269-580-8290, www.copenetwork.org.
• The Grand Rapids Red Project (providing free Naloxone and other harm reduction services in Kent and Muskegon Counties), 616-456-9063 (Kent County), 231-563-6865 (Muskegon County), www.redproject.org.
• The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has a webpage that identifies county-by-county services.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and Michigan State Police Southwest Enforcement Team are investigating this case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Austin J. Hakes is prosecuting it.

This case is part of the U.S. Department of Justice's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Program. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

# # #