Texas Tech Professor and Two Others Federal Charged With Fentanyl Distribution Conspiracy

A Texas Tech University marketing and supply chain management professor and two others were federally charged for their roles in a fentanyl distribution conspiracy, announced United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould.

Daniel Taylor, 50, of Lubbock, Texas, was charged by federal complaint on February 18, 2026, with conspiracy to distribute or possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. Taylor is an assistant professor of marketing and supply chain management with Texas Tech's Rawls College of Business. Also charged are Alisha Red-Eagle, 21, and Mackenzie Gilcrease, 28, both of Lubbock.

According to the complaint, Taylor distributed two variations of fentanyl powder: one called "Pink Flamingo" and the other called "Ghost." The complaint alleges that Taylor has been under investigation for drug distribution over the last several months. Specific instances of alleged drug activity include January 12, 2026, when law enforcement agents saw Alisha Red-Eagle enter and exit Taylor's vehicle at a Lubbock convenience store, and then Red-Eagle entered a white SUV that left the location. When a Lubbock County Sheriff's Deputy stopped the SUV for a traffic violation, the SUV's occupants-which included Red-Eagle-advised that a male in the back seat was overdosing on suspected fentanyl supplied by Red-Eagle. Narcan and EMS services were administered. While searching the SUV, officers found five fentanyl pills, a clear baggie containing fentanyl, five aluminum foil wrappers containing fentanyl residue, and a pink baggie containing fentanyl powder.

"Instead of focusing on teaching students supply chain management, the defendant, as alleged, was developing and implementing his own supply chain of lethal fentanyl into the streets of Lubbock," said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould. "As alleged, at least in one instance, the fentanyl the defendant peddled through his drug trafficking organization caused an overdose. We hope the students of Texas Tech and the Lubbock community understand that my office will vigorously prosecute drug dealers and drug traffickers no matter if you are a professor or a street level dealer."

"This arrest underscores the stark and troubling irony that an individual entrusted with educating others instead chose to distribute one of the deadliest drugs facing our communities today," said DEA Dallas Field Division Special Agent in Charge Joseph B. Tucker. "While this conduct is in no way reflective of Texas Tech University, it highlights that fentanyl trafficking can emerge from any corner of our society, and DEA, alongside our federal, state, and local partners, remains committed to identifying and holding accountable those who choose to profit from this poison."

The complaint further alleges that on the evening of February 17, 2026, agents saw Mackenzie Gilcrease meet Taylor at his residence, enter and exit his apartment, and leave the location in a pickup truck. A Lubbock County Sheriff's Deputy stopped the truck for a traffic violation and identified Gilcrease as the driver and sole occupant. After a K-9 alerted to the vehicle for the odor of narcotics, deputies searched the truck and found three pink plastic baggies of fentanyl inside of a pink envelope that contained a pink flamingo graphic. They also found a pink plastic baggie containing methamphetamine. Just after midnight on February 18, 2026, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant for Taylor's home, locating multiple quantities of white powder and a crystal-like substance that tested positive for methamphetamine, along with pink envelopes, plastic baggies with pink flamingo stickers, and baggies containing a ghost graphic.

All three defendants appeared before a United States Magistrate Judge in Lubbock this morning for initial appearances on the charges. They remain in federal custody pending further court proceedings. If convicted, each defendant faces a statutory maximum sentence of twenty years in federal prison.

This investigation was a joint operation of the Texas Anti-Gang Center and the Caprock Hi-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. This group is composed of agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Lubbock County Sheriff's Office, and the Lubbock Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Stephen Rancourt is prosecuting the case.

A complaint is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.