An Amarillo man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for distributing fentanyl. Johnny Evrick Johnson, Jr., 30, was sentenced on Thursday after pleading guilty in June to one count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, according to the Department of Justice.
U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk imposed a sentence of 240 months, a departure from the sentencing guidelines, reflecting the seriousness of the offense. Johnson's criminal activities extended beyond drug trafficking to include coordinating armed robberies in July 2019, as discussed in court documents found at the Department of Justice's website.
The investigation came to a head when Johnson sold 100 fentanyl pills to an undercover police officer on June 10, 2022. This followed a prior arrangement made on June 8th to distribute the narcotic analgesic.
Agencies such as the FBI and the DEA, alongside local Amarillo police, were involved in dismantling the drug trafficking operations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Long led to the charge against Johnson, which culminated in a heavy sentence for a criminal whose actions could have had devastating effects on the community.
