A Texas Tech University professor and two others have been federally charged in an alleged fentanyl distribution conspiracy, according to a criminal complaint filed this week.
Federal prosecutors say 50-year-old Daniel Taylor of Lubbock, was charged Feb. 18 with conspiracy to distribute or possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. Taylor is an assistant professor of marketing and supply chain management at Texas Tech University’s Rawls College of Business.
Also charged are Alisha Red-Eagle, 21, and Mackenzie Gilcrease, 28, both of Lubbock.
According to the federal complaint, Taylor allegedly distributed two variations of fentanyl powder referred to as “Pink Flamingo” and “Ghost.” Investigators say Taylor has been under investigation for suspected drug distribution for several months.
The complaint outlines a Jan. 12 incident in which law enforcement agents observed Red-Eagle enter and exit Taylor’s vehicle at a Lubbock convenience store before getting into a white SUV that left the area.
A deputy with the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office later stopped the SUV for a traffic violation. Occupants of the vehicle, including Red-Eagle, told deputies that a male passenger in the back seat was overdosing on suspected fentanyl supplied by Red-Eagle, according to the complaint.
Narcan was administered and emergency medical services responded. During a search of the SUV, officers reported finding five fentanyl pills, a clear baggie containing fentanyl, five aluminum foil wrappers with fentanyl residue and a pink baggie containing fentanyl powder.
“Instead of focusing on teaching students supply chain management, the defendant, as alleged, was developing and implementing his own supply chain of lethal fentanyl into the streets of Lubbock,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould. “As alleged, at least in one instance, the fentanyl the defendant peddled through his drug trafficking organization caused an overdose. We hope the students of Texas Tech and the Lubbock community understand that my office will vigorously prosecute drug dealers and drug traffickers no matter if you are a professor or a street level dealer.”
All three defendants appeared before a United States Magistrate Judge in Lubbock for initial appearances on the charges. They remain in federal custody pending further court proceedings. If convicted, each defendant faces a statutory maximum sentence of twenty years in federal prison.
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