"Top Ten" Alpha Criminal Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine and Heroin

TULSA, Okla.— United States Attorney Trent Shores announced that Dannie Dee Dill, 47, of Tulsa, pleaded guilty in United States District Court this morning to participating in a methamphetamine and heroin distribution conspiracy and to possession of methamphetamine and heroin with intent to distribute.

Law enforcement previously identified Dill as a “Top Ten” suspect of Operation Alpha, a Project Safe Neighborhoods’ initiative targeting Northern Oklahoma’s most dangerous criminals, which began in mid-April 2018.

Dill also pleaded guilty to Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime and Destruction or Removal of Property to Prevent Seizure. As part of the plea agreement, Dill and the United States agreed to a sentence of 120 months in prison, criminal forfeiture in the amount of $8,500, and forfeiture of a Glock handgun and associated ammunition.

From approximately August 2017 to April 2018, Dill participated in a scheme to distribute illegal narcotics, including heroin and methamphetamine, in the greater Tulsa area. As part of the scheme, Dill stored narcotics and drug proceeds at two different locations, one in Broken Arrow and one in Tulsa.  His narcotics source of supply sent illegal drug shipments for distribution from outside of the state of Oklahoma to the Broken Arrow location. To further his drug trafficking activities, Dill stored a loaded Glock handgun in the Broken Arrow home. Later, in April 2018, Dill removed drug proceeds totaling $15,000 in cash from his coconspirator’s house in an effort to prevent law enforcement from finding the money in a search. 

“This is just one of more than 35 federal cases resulting from phase one of Operation Alpha. Alpha criminals are generally the most violent, aggressive, and problematic of the criminal world. We must continue to stop them so all of our neighborhoods can thrive,” said U.S. Attorney Trent Shores. “I am proud of the dedication and cooperation shown by local, county, and state law enforcement officers, as well as our Assistant U.S. Attorneys, in catching and prosecuting criminals like Dannie Dill.”

Phase One of the Operation Alpha initiative utilized crime mapping technology to target areas with high rates of crime and focused on the area surrounding 21^st Street and Garnett Road in Tulsa.  Phase one operations took place from mid-April through mid-June 2018 and resulted in 174 felony arrests and seizure of 106 firearms.

Several law enforcement agencies were involved in a coordinated effort to bring Dill into custody in connection with the crime, including the Tulsa Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joel-lyn A. McCormick and Thomas E. Duncombe prosecuted the case.