Feds: Ex-Montco deputy sheriff linked to fentanyl imports
PHILADELPHIA >> Three Chinese nationals were indicted for allegedly conspiring with a former Montgomery County deputy sheriff to import and distribute opioid drugs, characterized as “poison, misery and death,” in the Philadelphia region and beyond.
Deyao Chen, Guichun Chen, and Liangtu Pan, all of the People’s Republic of China, were indicted on Tuesday in U.S. District Court on charges of conspiracy to import controlled substances, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of furanyl fentanyl and methoxyacetyl fentanyl, which are powerful synthetic opioids, in connection with alleged incidents that occurred between 2016 and
2017.
Federal authorities also unsealed a previous indictment that charged David Landis, 42, of Dogwood Lane, East Norriton, a former Montgomery County deputy sheriff, for his alleged role as a distributor of the drugs.
“David Landis was compensated by (the Chens and Pan) with bitcoin and with controlled substances,” federal authorities wrote in the indictment.
Montgomery County officials said Landis was employed as a deputy sheriff for 10 years, from 2004 to 2014. Officials would not comment about the reasons for Landis’s departure.
However, according to court papers, the conduct of which federal prosecutors accused Landis occurred after he left his job with the sheriff’s office.
According to federal officials, Landis previously pleaded guilty to drug-related charges and is awaiting sentencing in federal court.
The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain during a news conference in Philadelphia on Tuesday.
“Make no mistake, China is waging an undeclared war on our country and our American way of life, with deadly drugs serving as its weapon of choice,” said McSwain, adding the indictment is an important step “in choking the flow of these deadly drugs” into the region. “China is supplying the United States with the most potent and deadly fentanyl and other synthetic opioids on the market today.
“International suppliers beware: you cannot hide behind a computer or evade our detection by drug trafficking from a faraway place. Even if you are halfway around the world, you will be held to account for your crimes,” McSwain added.
According to the indictment, between April 2016 and March 2017, the Chens and Pan operated through websites located in the People’s Republic of China and offered controlled substances for sale, often using the same alias, “Alex,” when navigating the websites.
“Customers accessed these websites and selected the controlled substances they wanted to purchase” and the defendants directed the customers to different websites to pay for their orders, federal authorities wrote in the indictment.
After receiving payments from customers, the Chinese nationals emailed the customers’ orders to Landis, who was a distributor. The Chens and Pan mailed controlled substances from China to Landis in quantities sufficient to meet the orders from their Internet customers, according to the indictment.
Landis then allegedly used the U.S. Postal Service to mail the controlled substances to customers throughout the U.S. and in numerous other countries, including Canada, Chile, Senegal and Spain, according to court papers.
In less than a year, Landis mailed approximately 2,900 packages of controlled substances to customers on behalf of the Chens and Pan, according to federal authorities. The packages, according to court papers, contained between 20 and 100 grams of furanyl fentanyl.
“David Landis’ base of trafficking operations may have been Montgomery County, but his reach was global, spreading poison, misery and death far and wide,” said county District Attorney Kevin R. Steele, who joined McSwain at the news conference. “Because of traffickers like Landis, people are dying across the Commonwealth and across the country.”
Steele added he is “proud to partner” with state and federal authorities as they “work to take down these dealers, shut down these drug pipelines and get this poison out of our communities.”
With some of the distribution charges authorities alleged five individuals in Georgia, Illinois, Ohio, and Tennessee who received the illegal substances later overdosed and died with the substances in their systems.
“Whether you’re selling fentanyl on a corner in Kensington or hiding behind a keyboard in China, Homeland Security Investigations will ensure that justice will be served,” said Marlon V. Miller, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations, Philadelphia.
“The indictments announced today are the result of years of exemplary police work and collaboration at all levels of law enforcement,” added Major Douglas Burig, Director of the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation.