Kanawha County man pleads guilty to drug crime
ST. ALBANS, WV (WVNS) — A Kanawha County man pleaded guilty to a fentanyl crime.
44-year-old Timothy Brian Jackson, of South Charleston, pleaded guilty to possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl.
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According to statements made in court, law enforcement officers stopped a package during delivery on August 9, 2022 that Jackson tried to send to Connecticut through the United States Mail. When officers investigated the contents of the package, they discovered more than 300 pills that looked like 30-milligram oxycodone pills.
It was later revealed by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Mid-Atlantic Laboratory that the pills contained protonitazene, which is an emergent synthetic opioid that is just as, if not more potent, than fentanyl.
This is the exact sort of criminal conduct that has resulted in untold harm and grief throughout West Virginia and our nation. There must be no tolerance for the creation and distribution of these counterfeit pills that have caused so many overdoses and deaths.
Will Thompson | United States Attorney
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Law enforcement officers carried out a search warrant on August 29, 2022 at Jackson’s rented apartment in St. Albans. They discovered multiple amounts of pills that appeared to be genuine 30-milligram oxycodone pills, and it was confirmed by the DEA Mid-Atlantic Laboratory that the pills found in the apartment contained protonitazene or butonitazene, which is a federal Schedule I controlled substance that has opioid effects.
In addition to the pills, powders were found with protonitazene or butonitazene, punch and die kits that can be used to mark pills with “M30” markings, multiple binding powders, hydraulic pill press equipment, a pharmacy-grade powder mixing machine, large amounts of cash, and two loaded handguns.
Through his selfish and reckless actions, Mr. Jackson endangered not only his immediate neighbors, but the Charleston community at large; and for that, he should expect to meet the full weight of the justice system. The DEA and our law enforcement partners will not tolerate clandestine drug labs operating in our communities. If you’re in the business of making or selling fake pills, just know that we’re coming for you.
Special Agent in Charge J. Todd Scott | Head of DEA’s Louisville Field Division
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More than 10,000 pills were taken by investigators during the case. Jackson revealed that the apartment, most often the basement, was used as a workshop to create counterfeit pills that he planned to distribute. He also admitted to getting fentanyl powder from outside the United States, the punch and die sets from China, and the commercially manufactured binding powder from a company within the United States.
Today, Timothy Jackson admitted to manufacturing, possessing, and intending to distribute poison, which could have wreaked havoc on scores of American families. Fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. One kilogram of fentanyl can produce 1 million to 1.5 million pill dosage units and has the potential to kill 500,000 people. HSI Washington, D.C. is proud to have worked with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to prevent the distribution of this toxin to the residents of our communities.
Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon | Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.
The St. Albans apartment had been rented by Jackson for several years before the law enforcement search on August 29, 2022. Jackson revealed that although he rented the apartment in St. Albans, he lived with his family in South Charleston since February 2022.
Jackson’s sentencing is scheduled for April 25, 2024, where he faces 10 years to life in prison, a minimum of five years of parole, and a $10 million fine.
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As Postal Inspectors, our primary mission is the protection of our people and the postal employees who serve the public dutifully each day. The USPIS is committed to taking these dangerous substances out of the mail stream and our priority is to safeguard the public and our employees. The charges against this individual proves the resolve of Postal Inspectors and our law enforcement partners to pursue these organizations with every resource at our disposal, and to ultimately see that justice is served.
Lesley C. Allison | USPIS Inspector in Charge
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Will Thompson, who praised the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), as well as the help of the the Charleston Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department, and the St. Albans Fire Department hazardous materials team, the West Virginia Fusion Center, and the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT).
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