A sprawling Chicago-to-Green Bay drug investigation has claimed another key defendant, as Green Bay resident Ebony Austin, 36, pleaded no contest Friday in Brown County court, according to court records. Austin entered no-contest pleas to six counts, including possession with intent to deliver cocaine, fentanyl and amphetamine, while five other counts were dismissed. She is scheduled to be sentenced on June 23, accoridng to FOX 11.
Searches and a Chicago stash house
The case traces back to a series of coordinated searches that hit both ends of the alleged pipeline in July 2024. Investigators executed five search warrants in Brown County and carried out a coordinated search of a Chicago stash house tied to the same probe. As reported by FOX 11, authorities seized roughly 12 kilograms of fentanyl, about 4 kilograms of cocaine, 748 grams of methamphetamine, 460 grams of heroin, 16 firearms and some marijuana.
Wiretap evidence and widening probe
Prosecutors say the investigation leaned heavily on intercepted communications and quickly expanded beyond the initial arrests. According to FOX 11, this was the state’s first wiretap investigation specifically targeting fentanyl, and prosecutors say at least 47 people are now facing charges connected to the operation.
Sentences already handed down
WTAQ reported that the alleged ringleader, Felton Currie, received a 40-year prison term, while another defendant, Michael Oliver, was sentenced to 15 years. Those lengthy sentences underscore the scale of the probe that grew out of last summer’s arrests.
Local public-health context
Even outside the courtroom, Brown County has been treating fentanyl as a full-blown emergency. The county has formally declared fentanyl a community health crisis and has rolled out prevention and response efforts in recent years. Per Brown County Public Health's 2023 annual report, officials formed an overdose task force, trained hundreds of local employees in naloxone use and launched public education campaigns aimed at curbing overdose deaths.
What comes next
Austin is scheduled to return to court for sentencing on June 23, 2026, court records show. Prosecutors say the broader investigation remains active, with additional defendants and charges emerging as authorities continue tracing the alleged supply and distribution networks between Chicago and Green Bay.
