An Arizona man has pled guilty to charges related to drug trafficking, as announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson. Casey Thornton, 33, from Phoenix, admitted on May 14, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. This violates sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), and 846 of Title 21 of the United States Code.
Court documents reveal that Thornton collaborated with others to distribute fentanyl in the Eastern District of Louisiana and other locations. On August 17, 2023, he sent two packages via the United States Postal Service from Scottsdale, Arizona, to a co-conspirator in New Orleans. Each package contained over 500 grams of blue fentanyl pills. On October 19, 2023, Thornton mailed two more packages from Arizona to New Orleans containing similar quantities.
Thornton faces a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million. He could also receive at least three years of supervised release and is required to pay a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation aimed at dismantling high-level criminal organizations in the United States through a multi-agency approach led by prosecutors and driven by intelligence. More information about OCDETF can be found on their website.
The investigation involves Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, and the New Orleans Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Rachal Cassagne from the Narcotics Unit is leading the prosecution.
