Stockton Man Sentenced to 16 Years and 8 Months in Prison for Fentanyl and Methamphetamine Pill Manufacturing and Distribution

Jamar Deontae Barnes, 43, of Stockton, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd to 16 years and eight months in prison for conspiracy to manufacture and distribute pills laced with fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other drugs, and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine-laced pills, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.

According to court documents, from at least September 2015 through May 2019, Barnes conspired with his twin brother, Jamaine Dontae Barnes, and others, to make and sell thousands of drug-laced pills. Barnes and his co-conspirators made the pills using pill presses, which are machines that compress powders into pills of various shapes and sizes. They made pills that appeared to be legitimate prescription pills but in fact contained fentanyl, furanyl fentanyl, heroin, and other synthetic opioids. They also made pills that appeared to be traditional Ecstasy pills but in fact contained methamphetamine. On May 16, 2019, law enforcement searched Jamar Barnes' Stockton residence and seized a pill press machine as well as powders and pills containing methamphetamine and furanyl fentanyl.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the California Highway Patrol, the San Joaquin METRO Narcotics Task Force, the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Team (TRIDENT) Task Force, the Stockton Police Department, the Sacramento County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, and the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David W. Spencer and Emily G. Sauvageau prosecuted the case.

Nine other defendants have pleaded guilty:

• Jamaine Dontae Barnes pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 25, 2025.
• Kavio Daeshaun Lee Wiley pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
• Vincent Isaiah Patterson pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 5 years in prison.
• Johnesha Denae Thompson pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year and 6 months in prison.
• Kadrena Latrice Watts pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 14, 2025.
• Jeremy Jerome Barnett pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 4 years and 9 months in prison.
• Chevele Bernard Richardson pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 6 years and 7 months in prison.
• Tashawn Terrell Dickerson pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 3 years and 10 months in prison.
• Lamont Montez Thibodeaux pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 23, 2025.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.