Julius Darnell Dixon, a 54-year-old resident of Phoenix, has been sentenced to 51 months in prison. United States District Judge Steven P. Logan handed down the sentence last week. Following his prison term, Dixon will undergo 60 months of supervised release for providing contraband to federal inmates and violating a previous supervised release condition.

Dixon pleaded guilty on October 21, 2024, to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance. This plea also marked a violation of his supervised release related to an earlier bank robbery conviction (CR-99-00516-PHX-SPL).

The investigation revealed that between February 2023 and April 2024, Dixon collaborated with federal inmates across various institutions. He sent books from bookstores in the Phoenix area containing hidden Suboxone strips. The method involved using unwitting bookstores to mail these books, which appeared as legitimate purchases by the inmates. Prison staff intercepted two mailings, leading investigators to trace them back to bookstores in Phoenix where Dixon had provided his contact information.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation with assistance from the Bureau of Prisons. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick E. Chapman from the District of Arizona handled the prosecution.