WASHINGTON, DC – Laura Garvin, a 30-year-old resident of Annapolis, Md., was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for her involvement in a fentanyl pill manufacturing and drug trafficking operation in Washington, D.C. and Maryland.
U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division announced the sentencing. Garvin had pleaded guilty on May 17, 2023, to a charge of conspiracy with intent to distribute fentanyl. U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta also mandated 24 months of supervised release following her prison term.
The government’s evidence showed Garvin’s role in selling both real and counterfeit oxycodone pills and powder cocaine. She allowed her home to be used for storing an industrial pill press and a fentanyl pill mix. The operation, which began in May 2020, continued until September 2022. Garvin admitted her responsibility for distributing between 40 and 160 grams of a fentanyl mixture.
The FBI’s investigation into this drug trafficking group started in August 2021. The group used at least three pill presses, including an industrial rotary pill machine, to create counterfeit prescription pills resembling oxycodone and other drugs. These were distributed in the District and Maryland.
During a March 29, 2022 raid on a Washington, D.C. apartment used as a stash house, FBI agents seized over 516 pills and 76 grams of a fentanyl mixture. Garvin had frequently stayed at this location.
After her arrest on September 20, 2022, Garvin initially awaited sentencing under home confinement. However, following positive tests for cocaine and continued illegal activities, she was taken into custody on November 9, 2023.
Co-defendant Collin Edwards, also known as “Chills,” pleaded guilty to fentanyl and cocaine distribution and identity theft charges. Edwards, 29, from Largo, Md., awaits sentencing on March 5, 2024.