An Oregon man has been sentenced to 70 months in prison for his involvement in a large-scale marijuana trafficking operation that spanned several states. U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo handed down the sentence to Robert Fiels, 38, of City Falls, Oregon, following his conviction for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distributing more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti, Fiels was the main supplier for a network that moved marijuana and related products across the country. He used individuals such as co-defendant Syed Ahmad and others to transport the drugs. The distribution chain continued with people like Frank Vacanti and Vincent Lopresti selling the substances throughout Western New York. Between late 2016 and June 2019, Fiels trafficked about 1,800 pounds of marijuana to one individual.
Law enforcement agencies encountered Fiels multiple times during their investigation. In January 2017, DEA-Chicago agents and Amtrak Police stopped him while he was traveling from Buffalo to Chicago and seized $222,965 in drug proceeds from his luggage after he consented to a search. Later that year on December 31 in Morgan County, Illinois, local police and DEA officers recovered approximately 1,000 pounds of marijuana from an RV driven by Ahmad; this shipment belonged to Fiels and was intended for delivery around the United States.
In another incident on January 18, 2018, Fiels was pulled over in Hobart, Indiana for speeding; authorities found $48,000 in drug proceeds during a vehicle search. On February 10, 2020, law enforcement in Springfield, Oregon seized roughly $15,000 sent via USPS as drug proceeds linked to Fiels.
A series of search warrants were executed on June 29, 2020 at three locations associated with Fiels in Oregon: his home, work apartment, and former girlfriend’s residence. Officers recovered marijuana products along with packaging materials and paraphernalia commonly used for distribution activities—such as scales—as well as psychedelic mushrooms, two firearms and liquid steroids.
Syed Ahmad, Frank Vacanti and Vincent Lopresti have already been convicted and sentenced for their roles in this operation.
The case resulted from an investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) offices in Buffalo; Portland; Springfield (Illinois); Illinois State Police; Oregon State Police; Morgan County Sheriff’s Office (Illinois); Hobart Police Department (Indiana); and Springfield Police Department (Oregon).
