Timothy M. O'Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Dantrell T. Stevenson from Matteson, Illinois, has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for his involvement in fentanyl trafficking. Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson handed down the sentence on December 2, 2024. Stevenson's prison term will be followed by four years of supervised release after he pleaded guilty on September 9, 2024.
The investigation revealed a significant drug trafficking operation responsible for bringing over four kilograms of fentanyl pills into Madison from Arizona. The authorities began their probe in January 2022 after intercepting two mail packages containing nearly 20,000 fentanyl pills each. These packages were sent from Arizona to Madison addresses.
Undercover officers conducted purchases of fentanyl pills from members of this organization on twenty-three occasions between March and October 2022 in the Madison area. Stevenson participated in ten of these transactions. In October 2022, another package destined for the group was seized with 1.75 kilograms of fentanyl pills.
During his involvement, Stevenson was on parole in Illinois following a firearms conviction. At sentencing, Judge Peterson noted that although Stevenson's sales quantities were smaller than those of his co-defendants, his actions were harmful to the community.
Five other defendants involved have been sentenced under a separate indictment: Dejon C. Glover received four and a half years; Lloyd M. McKire-Bennett received more than thirteen and a half years; Deshawn P. Davis received five and a half years; Yoshi R. Walker received six years; Christopher S. Wilson received five years—all related to various charges concerning fentanyl distribution.
The charges stemmed from an investigation by multiple agencies including the U.S Postal Inspection Service and Drug Enforcement Administration among others, coordinated by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). Assistant U.S Attorney Steven P Anderson prosecuted the case.
