Lubbock Fentanyl Distributors Sentenced

36-year-old Sidney Caleb Lanier and 32-year-old Jamie Marie Robertson of Lubbock were sentenced this morning for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.

Lanier was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison following his guilty plea to count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl in February. Robertson was sentenced to 4 years after her guilty plea to one count of unlawful use of a communications facility. The defendants have been in custody since their arrest in October of last year, following a law enforcement operation led by LPD and special agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Co-defendant Jessica Christine Holl of Lubbock pleaded guilty in March to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and furanyl fentanyl.

While fentanyl can serve as a direct substitute for heroin in opioid-dependent individuals, it is a dangerous substitute as it is 50 times more potent than heroin and results in frequent overdoses that can lead to respiratory depression and death.

"Fentanyl is responsible for a sharp increase in overdoses and deaths across the county and poses a very high risk of death to not only users, but law enforcement first responders as well," said US Attorney John Parker. "Our local, state, and federal partners will continue to push back hard on those who peddle this poison in our communities."