Seattle Man Sentenced For Role In Massive Michigan Drug Scheme
Monday, November 25, 2024, 9:30 A.M. ET. 3 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
DETROIT, MI.- A 39-year-old Seattle, Washington man is going to be spending the next 12 and half years in federal prison for his role in an armed large-scale drug distribution network that flooded nearly 200 pounds of methamphetamine and other illicit narcotics throughout the Michigan area.
On Wednesday, November 20, 2024, Antonio D.J. Mitchell, 39, of Seattle, Washington, appeared in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and was by U.S. District Court Judge Linda V. Parker to 150 months in federal prison for his previous entered guilty plea to Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances.
According to U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison and charging documents filed with the court, During an investigation, agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Postal Investigation Service learned through their investigation that Keith Haskins had been mailing kilogram quantities of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine from California to his co-conspirator Kennie Smith of Detroit, Michigan.
Federal agents intercepted several of the packages, many of which contained illicit narcotics packaged in plastic buckets from a hardware store chain. Smith then managed the distribution of those narcotics into the Detroit area from several of his properties.
Haskins later recruited Mitchell to assist with transporting the illicit narcotics and narcotics proceeds between the Southwestern United States and Michigan. Haskins and Mitchell eventually moved to Detroit and expanded their operations. The two rented a storage unit and a downtown Detroit apartment, where in November 2021, agents, during a court-authorized search of the locations, found and seized over 87 kilograms of methamphetamine, 3 kilograms of fentanyl, one kilogram of cocaine, seven firearms, and hundreds of rounds of various caliber ammunition, including a high-capacity magazine.
Four members of the drug conspiracy were charged in federal court. Haskins, Smith, and Mitchell each pleaded guilty to multiple counts of federal narcotics offenses, including Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine, Fentanyl, and Cocaine, as well as Attempting to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.
Keith Haskins, 47, of San Bernardino County, California, was previously sentenced to 216 months in federal prison. Kennie Smith, 46, of Clinton Township, Michigan, was sentenced to 125 months in federal prison. The fourth co-conspirator, Chalisa Sawyer, is awaiting sentencing on January 28, 2025.
"We will tirelessly pursue and prosecute drug dealers who continue to inflict harm on our communities with dangerous drugs like methamphetamine and fentanyl, whether near or far," U.S. Attorney Ison said. "The sentences imposed in this case should underscore that goal. I commend our law enforcement partners at the DEA and USPIS whose hard work helped achieve these significant results."
"At the time of his arrest, Mr. Mitchell and his co-conspirators were in possession of more than 87 kilograms of methamphetamine, 3 kilograms of fentanyl, and other illicit drugs. The fentanyl alone could provide a deadly dosage to 1.5 million people," said Special Agent in Charge Orville. "DEA remains committed to dismantling criminal organizations who exchange lives for monetary gain and blatantly ignore the laws of this nation."
FILED UNDER: NOVEMBER 25, 2024: LAW, NATIONAL, MICHIGAN, FEDERAL PRISON, NARCOTICS, DISTRIBUTION, DRUG TRAFFICKING ORGANIZATION, WASHINGTON STATE: