Former Felon Sentenced To 117 Month Prison Term For Importing Synthetic Drug

TULSA, Okla. — United States Attorney Danny C. Williams Sr. for the Northern District of Oklahoma, announced that Gus Travis Poole Jr., 28, of Tulsa, was sentenced to 117 months in prison for importing approximately 1000 grams of Methylone and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  Methylone, a synthetic compound drug, is a controlled substance which is known as “mollies” on the street.

From January through March 2013, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed several federal search warrants related to inbound packages of Methylone from China.  The packages were seized by HSI.  Additionally, Federal Express turned over a suspect package to the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office that contained over a kilo of Methylone.  Investigation by HSI led to the identification of Poole as the recipient of the packages.  Poole has prior felony convictions for robbery with a dangerous weapon and burglary.

United States Attorney Danny C. Williams Sr. said, “Synthetic and designer drugs are a significant, widespread problem both domestically and internationally.  Abuse of these substances, like all dangerous drugs and chemicals, creates problems for individuals, their families, their communities, and society in general.”  He added, “The trafficking of any type of drug will not be tolerated in the Northern District.”

“Homeland Security Investigations routinely works with our local law enforcement partners to effectively identify, investigate and prosecute drug traffickers,” said David M. Marwell, special agent in charge of HSI Dallas, which includes north Texas and the state of Oklahoma.  “By working closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office, we successfully removed a violent drug trafficker from our communities for nearly 10 years.”

This case was investigated by HSI, with assistance from the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office.  The case was prosecuted for the United States by Assistant United States Attorney Gary Davis II.