Final Of Fifteen Defendants Sentenced For Lansing-Based Drug Trafficking

          GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — U.S. District Judge Paul L. Maloney sentenced Defendant Edward Washington to serve 396 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release for his role in distributing fentanyl throughout the Lansing, Michigan area.  Defendant Washington was the final of fifteen defendants to be sentenced in an investigation and prosecution that focused on two drug trafficking organizations distributing fentanyl and methamphetamine in the greater Lansing area. 

          “These drugs are taking more lives across Michigan and the United States than ever before and my office is committed to disrupting the pipelines that distribute these poisons across the region,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten.

          “Edward Washington oversaw the distribution of bulk quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, and heroin throughout the Lansing area,” said Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene.  “This successful prosecution and sentencing is a reminder that the DEA will pursue these criminals to not only stop the illegal distribution of poisons in our community, but also to prevent the associated violence.”

          The DEA and Lansing Police Department (LPD), including Lansing Police Department Special Operations Section (LPD SOS), led this interagency investigation. The investigation and convictions were the culmination of an interagency investigation conducted through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program.  Interagency investigations are a crucial part of how the Department of Justice combats illegal drug trafficking. Often, agencies partner through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

          The following individuals were convicted and sentenced as part of the investigation:

          Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vito S. Solitro, Stephen P. Baker, and Theodore J. Greeley, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney B. René Shekmer prosecuted the case.

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