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Press Release

Texarkana Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Distributing Fentanyl Resulting in Death

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Texas

TEXARKANA, Texas – A Texarkana man who sold thousands of fake oxycontin pills that contained fentanyl has been sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs today.

Terrance Lamar Peacock, also known as T, 32, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl resulting in death.  Peacock was sentenced to 370 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Robert W. Schroeder III.

According to information presented in court, between November 2018 and March 2022, Peacock conspired with at least three others, including his brother Michael Peacock, to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, marijuana, and a synthetic opioid known as U-47700. 

Peacock and his co-conspirators distributed thousands of blue pills stamped to mimic 30mg oxycontin pills, known on the streets as “M-30s,” but the pills were counterfeits that instead contained fentanyl.  Peacock and his co-conspirators also sold thousands of pills marketed as ecstasy but contained methamphetamine and caffeine.  Three victims died and one had to be resuscitated after being administered Narcan after ingesting fake M-30 pills containing fentanyl that they had purchased directly from either Terrance Peacock or his brother, Michael Peacock.  Multiple firearms were seized from the defendants during the execution of search warrants at their homes and stash houses.

“Fentanyl kills indiscriminately, and this defendant chose to sell counterfeit M-30 pills that ultimately claimed the lives of three victims,” said U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs.  “The defendant recognized the inevitable consequences of peddling poison and chose greed over the preciousness of life.  Today’s significant sentence should send a powerful message to those who choose to distribute fentanyl resulting in death—the Eastern District of Texas will aggressively prosecute these cases to assist in combatting the opioid epidemic that has claimed the lives of so many victims.” 

Michael Peacock and Justin Owens have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.  Codefendant Deablo Lewis is scheduled for trial in January 2024.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

This case was investigated by the Texarkana Texas Police Department, the Texarkana Arkansas Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan Hornok and Ryan Locker.

Updated September 21, 2023

Topics
Drug Trafficking
Opioids