Kalamazoo Man Pleads Guilty To Possession With Intent To Distribute Fentanyl

LANSING - U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten today announced that Lonnie Morrow, 33, of Kalamazoo, Michigan pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. Morrow is scheduled to be sentenced on March 19, 2024, and faces a minimum of 5 years and a maximum of 40 years in federal prison.

"As little as two milligrams of fentanyl (a few grains of sand) can kill," said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. "The trafficking of illegal drugs, especially fentanyl, is driving the ongoing epidemic of drug poisoning deaths here at home and across the United States. My office is committed to disrupting the flow of these poisons into our communities."

According to the plea agreement, Morrow possessed approximately 10,800 pills containing fentanyl, weighing over 1,100 grams, which he intended to distribute. During a traffic stop on March 9, 2024, officers with the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety (KDPS) and the Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team (KVET) located the fentanyl pills in a bag concealed under Morrow's seat. During a subsequent search, law enforcement also found three firearms, ammunition, cocaine, and over $12,000 in U.S. currency in Morrow's apartment.

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 current data shows a noticeable decrease in drug-related deaths across the nation, the numbers remain high.

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 KDPS and KVET investigated this case with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

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