A Beaumont man has been sentenced to 19 years in federal prison for trafficking fentanyl, according to an announcement by Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Carl Wayne Hite, Jr., aged 41, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. He was sentenced to 228 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on July 24, 2025.
Court documents reveal that in July 2023, federal narcotics agents in Beaumont began investigating Hite's suspected drug trafficking activities. The investigation showed that Hite was regularly supplying fentanyl-laced pills to individuals in Jefferson County. Federal agents obtained these pills directly from Hite, leading to his arrest and a search warrant execution at his residence. During the search, law enforcement seized various controlled substances, including fentanyl.
The case was investigated by several agencies: the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office; Beaumont Police Department; Port Neches Police Department; Port Arthur Police Department; FBI CAST; Jefferson County Crime Laboratory; and DEA South Central Laboratory. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan C. Lee and Matthew Quinn prosecuted the case.
