DETROIT – A Detroit resident was sentenced yesterday to 14 years in federal prison on charges of possession of fentanyl with the intent to distribute it in the Detroit area, announced United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison.
U.S. Attorney Ison was joined in the announcement by Rodney Hopkins, Inspector in Charge, United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and Acting Special Agent in Charge Kent Kleinschmidt of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Judge Robert H. Cleland sentenced Dewayne Javon Butler, 32, Detroit to fourteen years. Butler pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl in December 2021.
According to court records, on July 27, 2020, and August 5, 2020, Butler flew to Las Vegas, Nevada to ship packages containing over 1 kilogram of fentanyl each to the Detroit area for further distribution. The packages were intercepted by postal inspectors, who along with special agents from the DEA, determined that Butler was responsible for shipping the illegal drugs to Detroit. USPIS and DEA provided information to the Court at sentencing that revealed 22 previous parcels had been shipped to addresses associated with Butler, between November 2019 and August 2020, and corresponded with Buter’s travel from Detroit to Las Vegas.
A kilogram of fentanyl, which sold for about $50,000 in 2020 could potentially produce 250,000 lethal doses. Michigan drug overdose deaths climbed to record levels in 2020 during the pandemic. In 2019, more than 51 percent of all drug overdose deaths were attributed to fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, and other synthetic opioids, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta (CDC).
“Mr. Butler’s criminal conduct is an all-too-familiar example of someone who is willing, due to his own greed, to contribute to the destruction of communities, families and individuals dealing with the current effects or aftermath of drug addiction,” stated U.S. Attorney Ison. “This sentence demonstrates that our office stands ready to hold individuals accountable for the harms they inflict on the community. I commend the excellent work of these federal law enforcement agents in removing dangerous drugs from the streets that were destroying lives in Southeast Michigan.”
“Today’s sentencing reflects the ongoing work of the United States Postal Inspection Service and our law enforcement partners to disrupt drug trafficking in our communities and our dedication to ensuring justice is swiftly served upon those who seek to undermine the safety and security of the general public,” stated Rodney M. Hopkins, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service Detroit Division.
“The Drug Enforcement Administration is determined to bring individuals trafficking fentanyl in our neighborhoods to justice,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Kleinschmidt. “We see the devastating impacts of fentanyl on a daily basis and tirelessly investigate those who seek to profit at the expense of public safety.”
This case was investigated by special agents from DEA and USPIS.