An Enterprise man has been sentenced to federal prison in what prosecutors describe as a scheme to smuggle fentanyl into Central Alabama from California.
James Walker, 35, was been sentenced to 43 months in federal prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, said Kevin Davidson acting U.S. attorney. Walker pleaded guilty earlier this year, he said. Following his prison term, Walker will serve three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court records and Walker’s plea agreement, the investigation began in March 2023 when the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Postal Inspection Service began investigating a drug-trafficking network moving fentanyl from California to Alabama. Investigators determined that Walker conspired with others, including 33-year-old Shanarion Lee of La Mesa, California, and 32-year-old Hillary Lewis of Lemon Grove, California, to ship controlled substances to multiple addresses in the Middle District of Alabama.
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Through 2023 and 2024, federal agents intercepted several packages containing counterfeit pills made to resemble oxycodone tablets, Davidson said. Laboratory testing confirmed that the pills contained fentanyl, a highly potent synthetic opioid. On June 4, Walker pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.
Lee and Lewis also pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy charges earlier this year, Davidson said. Lee was previously sentenced to 46 months in prison, while Lewis is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 2.
Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at mroney@gannett.com. To support his work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Alabama man sentenced to federal prison in fentanyl smuggling case