GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN —U.S. Attorney Mark A. Totten announced that on June 24, 2022, U.S. District Judge Paul L. Maloney sentenced Roddrick Montez Wilson, 26, of Muskegon and Grand Rapids, to 23 years in prison for possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

During a traffic stop in August 2021, Michigan State Police in Muskegon found Wilson in possession of over 15,000 fake pills that appeared to be Adderall®, an amphetamine used to treat ADHD and narcolepsy, but the pills were in fact methamphetamine. Wilson intended to sell the pills, worth an estimated $75,000, and possessed a loaded, stolen firearm in furtherance of that crime. After further investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, investigators learned that law enforcement in Grand Rapids had encountered Wilson in February and June 2021, and on both occasions, found smaller quantities of the same type of fake pills, in addition to a firearm in June and other drugs in February.

“Counterfeit pills pose a significant danger to our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Totten. “There are often devastating consequences for drug users who ingest fake pills bought off the street. My office is committed to raising awareness about this issue, and prosecuting those individuals who seek to profit off the distribution of counterfeit substances.”

According to the DEA,[1] a nationwide surge in fake prescription pills, made and marketed by criminal drug networks, is driving harm, violence, and overdoses across the United States. Fake pills are marked as legitimate prescription pills to deceive the American public, are easy to purchase, and widely available. Between August and December 2021, almost 10 million fake pills were seized by law enforcement nationwide. You should never take prescription medication that was not prescribed to you by your doctor and dispensed by a licensed pharmacist. For more information about the DEA’s “One Pill Can Kill” campaign, visit: https://www.dea.gov/onepill.

“Across the Midwest, law enforcement is seizing methamphetamine pressed into fake-pill form so that it appears to be a less potent substance, such as Xanax or Adderall. This case should serve as a stark reminder to everyone: the only pill anyone should take is one that has been prescribed by a physician and obtained at a legitimate pharmacy,” said Orville O. Greene, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s Detroit Division.

The DEA, Michigan State Police, and Grand Rapids Police Department investigated this case, which was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan McGraw.