Earnest Ray Miller, also known as “Q,” was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison on July 24 for drug and gun charges, according to United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould. Miller, a 54-year-old Dallas resident with multiple felony convictions, operated a drug distribution business out of the Cole Manor Motel near Dallas Love Field.
The motel was demolished on June 17 after a joint federal investigation and a criminal nuisance lawsuit by the City of Dallas revealed it had become a hub for drug trafficking, violent crime, and prostitution. “This defendant contributed to the fentanyl crisis by running a distribution network primarily out of the Cole Manor Hotel,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould. “Let this 25-year sentence serve notice to anyone who thinks they can profit from selling this poison to Texans on my watch. This office will continue to stand up and use every tool in the tool chest to protect our communities. Earlier this year I was proud to work with DPD, FBI, and the city to help get the Cole Manor Hotel bulldozed for good. We will continue to charge people with crimes and go after businesses who harbor illegal conduct.”
Joseph B. Tucker, Special Agent in Charge of DEA’s Dallas Field Division, said: “Drug trafficking and its frequent companion, drug-related violence, threaten the health and safety of every single one of us. Mr. Miller’s sentence of 25 years holds him directly responsible for his intended actions and has undoubtedly saved lives, with a weapon off the streets and drugs that will never find a life to destroy.”
According to court documents, Drug Enforcement Administration agents began investigating drug activity at Cole Manor Motel in December 2024 at its former location on Harry Hines Boulevard in Dallas. Miller admitted that individuals habitually went there for criminal activities including controlled substance distribution, unlawful firearm possession, assaults, prostitution, among others.
During the conspiracy period described in court records, Miller used multiple motel rooms to cut, package, and distribute fentanyl as well as other substances like methamphetamine and marijuana daily; he sometimes posted rules inside rooms that customers were expected to follow. On February 19, 2025, law enforcement executed search warrants at several rooms tied to Miller—recovering digital scales, baggies containing fentanyl and methamphetamine intended for distribution along with $19,372 cash proceeds from drug sales plus multiple firearms.
In October 2025, Miller pleaded guilty before United States Federal District Judge Karen Gren Scholer on counts including conspiracy to distribute fentanyl as well as possessing firearms while being a convicted felon; he received a sentence totaling 300 months (25 years). The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Dallas Division led the investigation while Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Calvert prosecuted.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas is part of the Department of Justice; it prosecutes federal crimes—including those related to narcotics—and manages civil litigation across an area serving about eight million residents over roughly 96 thousand square miles from facilities based mainly at Earle Cabell Federal Building in Dallas but also branch offices throughout Fort Worth, Lubbock, Amarillo, and Abilene employing around one hundred assistant attorneys/support staff while promoting community trust through outreach initiatives, according to its official website.