STOCKTON, Calif. — A counterfeit pill operation was broken up and six people arrested on federal drug charges this week.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), along with 11 additional agencies, helped bring down the counterfeit pill manufacturing ring and arrested six people allegedly connected to it, according to Chris Nielsen, DEA special agent in charge.
On Thursday, May 16, agents worked on 15 federal search warrants and six federal arrest warrants were issued for:
- Jamaine Barnes, 37, of Stockton
- Jamar Barnes, 37, of Stockton
- Vincent Patterson, 26, of Stockton
- Kavieo Wiley, 22, of Stockton
- Johnesha Thompson, 42, of Stockton.
- Chevele Richardson, 32, of Stockton, was also arrested and charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
All six had their initial appearance in Sacramento Federal Court Friday, May 17.
The DEA Sacramento District Office began this investigation in April 2016, when agents "learned of a drug trafficking organization (DTO) allegedly led by an individual identified as Jamaine Barnes," according to court documents.
Court documents also reveal that the Barnes DTO was manufacturing and distributing "large quantities of counterfeit pharmaceutical tablets containing fentanyl and other controlled substances, as well as supposed ecstasy/MDMA pills containing methamphetamine and other controlled substances," in the Stockton area and elsewhere.
Email search warrants led agents to find Barnes allegedly bought a pill press and pill dies from China in July of 2016 and that in October and November of that year, he allegedly ordered chemicals from China at least five times. The chemicals were then shipped to an address in Stockton.
Court documents (embedded above) detail multiple "purchases of counterfeit pharmaceutical tablets from sub-distributors within the (organization)," along with alleged MDMA tablets containing controlled substances that were seized multiple times from Barnes DTO members.