6 From WI Charged After 19 Guns And 10 Kilos Of Fentanyl Seized: DOJ

MILWAUKEE, WI — Six people from Wisconsin were charged Tuesday after a federal drug trafficking investigation across four states seized 19 firearms plus dozens of pounds of fentanyl, heroin and cocaine, U.S. Attorney Gregory J. Haanstad of the Eastern District of Wisconsin announced.

Authorites also seized over $450,000 and about 170 pounds of marijuana, the release from Haanstad said. Fifteen people total are facing charges, six of them from Wisconsin, while the others are from California, Minnesota and Illinois, according to the DOJ release. A federal grand jury in Milwaukee returned an indictment charging the 15 in connection with a drug-trafficking organization that distributed from California to midwestern states, the release said.

Several were also accused of a money laundering conspiracy, the DOJ said. One of the defendants, Phillip Daniels, Sr., is accused of being the leader of the organization, according to Haanstad's release.

"According to a criminal complaint, Phillip Daniels, Sr. obtained fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana from suppliers in California and arranged to have the substances shipped to addresses in Milwaukee and the St. Paul/Minneapolis area," the DOJ release said. "The organization also is alleged to have obtained and sold counterfeit oxycodone pills, which contained fentanyl or methamphetamine. According to court records, a financial investigation revealed that members of the drug trafficking organization funneled over two million dollars in proceeds into bank accounts associated with various businesses."

The charges are the result of the collaboration of dozens of law enforcement from federal, state and local levels, Haanstad said in the release.

“Ingesting just two milligrams of fentanyl can be fatal for some users, and law enforcement’s work resulted in seizing over 10 kilograms of this lethal substance from alleged members of this organization in a single day," said Haanstad. "I commend the efforts of all involved in this incredibly important effort.”

Agencies involved in the investigation included police in Milwaukee, Greenfield, Waukesha, Brookfield, West Allis and beyond.

If convicted, many of the defendants may face five years at sentencing all the way to life, according to the DOJ release.