Six California Residents Indicted By Federal Grand Jury For Conspiracy To Distribute Oxycodone In Southeast Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska – United States Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced that six residents of Sacramento, California, were indicted by a federal grand jury in Anchorage on charges of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute oxycodone in Alaska.
The individuals were indicted in four separate indictments. The first indictment names Charles Marshal Ferris, 59, and Renee Louise Davis, 44, as defendants. The second indictment names Deandre Dantzler, 30, and Travell Pinkston, 23, as defendants. The third indictment names, Jessica Cooper, 21, asa sole defendant and the fourth indictment names William West Jr., 25, as a sole defendant.
According to the indictments, Ferris and Davis conspired with others to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute oxycodone from July 1, 2010, to July 12, 2010; Dantzler and Pinkston conspired with others to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute approximately 7,500oxycodone pills from the Sacramento, California area to Juneau, Alaska utilizing drug couriers via commercial air travel from November 2008, to September 29, 2010; Cooper conspired with others to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute oxycodone in Alaska from August 1, 2009, to December 31, 2009; West conspired with others to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute oxycodone in Alaska from March 2009 to March 8, 2010.
Assistant United States Attorney Jack S. Schmidt, who presented the cases to the grand jury,indicated that the law provides for a maximum total sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $1 million, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offense(s) and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendants.
A trial is scheduled for Ferris and Davis in March 21, 2011, in Juneau. Ferris and Davis will remain incarcerated pending trial. West was arrested by the DEA in California on January 24, 2011, in California and is expected to be transported to Fairbanks to stand trial. Cooper was arrested on January25, 2011, in California and is expected to be transported to Juneau to stand trial. West and Cooper have both been detained pending trial. Dantzler and Pinkston currently have arrest warrants issued for their arrest and are currently fugitives.
The DEA – High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force Section D-22, The Port of Seattle Police Department, and the Juneau Drug Metro Unit conducted the investigation leading to the indictments in this case.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
