Marion County, Illinois Man Indicted on Bath Salts Related Charges

A Marion County, IL man was indicted on January 4, 2018, on charges related to Alpha-Pyrrolidinopentiophenone (Alpha-PVP) (also known as "bath salts"), in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury, Donald S. Boyce, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today.

Dennis R. Thacker, Jr., 49, of Alma, IL, was charged in a three count indictment. Count 1 charges that from 2016, until on or about December 2017, in Clay County and Marion County, and elsewhere, Thacker, Jr., conspired to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, Alpha-PVP, a Schedule I controlled substance, in violation of federal law. Count 2 charges that on June 2, 2017, in Clay County, Thacker, Jr., distributed a mixture or substance containing Alpha-PVP. Count 3 charges that on June 2, 2017, in Marion County, Thacker, Jr., possessed with the intent to distribute a mixture or substance containing Alpha-PVP.

With respect to all three Counts, Thacker, Jr. faces on each count up to 20 years of imprisonment, up to a $1,000,000 fine, supervised release of at least three years, and a $100 special assessment.

An Indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Flora Police Department, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and the Southeastern Illinois Drug Task Force.