HSI Charleston Investigation Leads to West Virginia Man Receiving 14 Years in Prison for Fentanyl Crime

Conspirator used apartment as workshop to create counterfeit oxycodone pills for distribution

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — An investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Charleston and numerous federal, state and local law enforcement partners resulted in a South Charleston man receiving a 14-year prison sentence followed by five years of supervised release for possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl.

Timothy Brian Jackson, 44, received the sentence June 26 at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia.

Jackson admitted that he created and intended to distribute fake oxycodone pills that actually contained fentanyl or other opioids.

“Timothy Brian Jackson deserves every day of his prison sentence,” said HSI Washington, D.C. Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon. “He possessed, manufactured, and intended to distribute poison that could have destroyed scores of American families. Fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. One kilogram of fentanyl can produce 1 million to 1.5 million pill dosage units and has the potential to kill 500,000 people. HSI Washington, D.C. is proud to have worked with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to prevent the distribution of this toxin to the residents of our communities.”

According to the investigation, on Aug. 9, 2022, law enforcement officers intercepted a package that Jackson placed in the United States Mail to send to Connecticut. Officers searched the package and found over 300 pills that appeared to be 30-milligram oxycodone pills. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Mid-Atlantic Laboratory confirmed the pills contained protonitazene, an emergent synthetic opioid that is equally if not more potent than fentanyl.

“The United States Postal Inspection Service diligently conducts investigations such as these to protect the mail system from being used for criminal purposes such as drug transportation,” said Lesley C. Allison, Inspector in Charge of the Pittsburgh Division. “The conviction of this individual demonstrates our commitment to protecting the public and postal employees.”

On Aug. 29, 2022, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at a St. Albans apartment rented by Jackson. Officers found various quantities of pills that looked like legitimate 30-milligram oxycodone pills. The DEA Mid-Atlantic Laboratory confirmed that some of the seized pills contained fentanyl and others contained protonitazene or butonitazene, a federal Schedule I controlled substance with opioid effects. Officers also found various quantities of powders containing these substances, hydraulic pill press equipment, various punch and die kits used to imprint pills with “M30” markings, a pharmacy-grade powder mixing machine, various binding powders, two loaded pistols and nearly $80,000.

Authorities seized more than 10,000 pills in this case. Jackson admitted that he used the apartment, and primarily its basement, as a workshop to make counterfeit pills that he intended to distribute. Jackson further admitted that he acquired fentanyl powder from a source outside the United States, the “M30” punch and die sets from China and commercially manufactured binding powder from a company in the U.S.

“Mr. Jackson, and those like him who sow misery in our communities by engaging in the criminal drug trade, should expect to meet the full weight of our justice system,” said Erek Davodowich, acting special agent in charge of DEA’s Louisville Field Division. “Hopefully, he will use his time in custody to reflect upon his actions and the harm he has brought to the people of West Virginia and come out a better man upon his release from federal prison.”

Jackson began renting the St. Albans apartment several years prior to the Aug. 29, 2022, search by law enforcement. Jackson admitted that he had been living with his family at a residence in South Charleston since February 2022 while continuing to rent the St. Albans apartment.

“Timothy Brian Jackson’s conduct needs to be condemned and deterred in the strongest terms possible,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson. “His fentanyl pill-making operation was perhaps unprecedented in its scale for the Southern District of West Virginia, at a time when opioid overdoses and the unwitting ingestion of fentanyl continue to claim lives. This is a landmark case in the efforts by law enforcement to protect the community from the dangers of fentanyl, and today’s sentence serves as a stark warning to anyone else who may consider entering into this illicit, destructive and deadly business.”

This investigation was conducted by HSI Charleston, the DEA, the United States Postal Inspection Service and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, with significant assistance from the West Virginia Fusion Center, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team, the Charleston Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the St. Albans Fire Department hazardous materials team. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.

Anyone with information about drug trafficking or other crimes is highly encouraged to contact the HSI Tip Line at 877-4-HSI-TIP. Callers may remain anonymous.

Learn more about HSI Washington, D.C.’s mission to increase public safety in our Virginia communities on X, formerly known as Twitter, @HSI_DC.