Madison Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Fentanyl Trafficking

MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Simmeka M. Tibbs, 37, of Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced on November 19, 2024, by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to a year and a half in federal prison for distributing fentanyl. The prison term will be followed by 4 years of supervised release. Tibbs pled guilty to this charge on August 15, 2024.

Between December 2023 and February 2024, co-defendant Lildre Brown arranged to distribute fentanyl laced heroin on three separate occasions in the Madison area. On one of these occasions, Brown sent co-defendant Nicole Sanders to deliver almost 100 grams of fentanyl. On the two other occasions, Tibbs delivered the fentanyl for Brown. The investigation revealed that Tibbs regularly delivered drugs for Brown.

At Tibbs’ sentencing, Judge Peterson emphasized the seriousness of Tibbs regularly distributing drugs containing fentanyl, an extremely dangerous drug. Judge Peterson also found it very concerning that on one occasion, Tibbs brought a young child with her to the drug delivery.

On November 7, 2024, Brown was sentenced to 85 months in prison. Sanders is scheduled to be sentenced on January 10, 2025.

The charges against Brown, Tibbs, and Sanders were the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Rock County Sheriff’s Office, Madison Police Department, and the Markham Illinois Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney William M. Levins prosecuted this case.