DRUG BUST: Enough Fentanyl To Kill 200,000 Off Michigan Streets

Michigan is in the grip of a fentanyl crisis, and the latest takedown of a Jackson-based drug operation shows how dangerous this synthetic drug is. The leader of the Thorough Bread Family (TBF) gang, Tamarious "Poogi" Faulkner, has pleaded guilty to running a massive fentanyl distribution ring.

However, the drugs taken off the streets weren't your typical fentanyl. In a release, the United States Attorney's Eastern District Office of Michigan stated that the TBF's product was uniquely colored and rock-like. No matter the shape or texture, fentanyl is deadly.

Fentanyl Leaves No Room for Error

Fentanyl was originally developed as a powerful painkiller meant for patients with severe, chronic pain or recovering from surgery. Under medical supervision, it has legitimate uses. But on the street, it's a nightmare.

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The Department of Justice says that most of the illicit fentanyl that makes it into Michigan is smuggled across the southern U.S. border, and it's mixed with everything from heroin to cocaine to fake prescription pills. The problem? Drug dealers have zero quality control, and just two milligrams can kill someone.

Think about that: Two grains of salt's worth of fentanyl is enough to stop someone's heart. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has tested counterfeit pills that have been laced with up to 5.1 milligrams—more than twice the lethal dose. Even scarier, 42% of tested pills had at least 2 milligrams of fentanyl.

Jackson's Fentanyl Pipeline Shutdown

WLNS reports that Faulkner's TBF had flooded Jackson with their crystalline fentanyl, sold in shades of yellow, blue, and purple. Authorities shut the operation down, and six of his conspirators are already locked up and will serve a five to ten-year sentence. They seized over 400 grams of fentanyl, enough for 200,000 fatal 2-milligram doses.

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Faulkner faces sentencing on April 29, 2025, with a mandatory minimum of 10 years, but he could spend the rest of his life behind bars. For a comprehensive look at drug and other crimes in your city, keep scrolling for an alphabetical town-by-town look at illegal activity in Michigan.