Laura Kimble, senior drug chemist and forensic scientist with the Hamilton County CoronerÕs Crime Laboratory located in Blue Ash, shows some of the fake oxycodone, Thursday, March 24, 2022 that was seized in a large drug bust. Legally prescribed, the drug is used to relieve severe pain. It is an opioid analgesic. The fake pills contain fentanyl and acetaminophen. But though the drugs were confiscated in the same drug bust, theyÕre not all the same. Kimble said one pill tested with no actual drugs in it. She noted the discoloration and smudging of the letters. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid and is 100 times more potent than morphine. Covid Death Hit One Million
San Diego, California – Melvin Edward Allen Jr., a 39-year-old resident of the District of Columbia, was sentenced Tuesday to 75 months in federal prison for his role in a sweeping fentanyl trafficking conspiracy that funneled hundreds of thousands of lethal counterfeit pills from Southern California to cities across the United States.
Allen, who went by the alias “21,” was one of 24 defendants charged in the multi-jurisdictional investigation that spanned Washington, D.C., Virginia, Maryland, San Diego, and Los Angeles. Federal prosecutors say the network distributed vast quantities of fentanyl-laced oxycodone pills, often disguised as legitimate pharmaceuticals but carrying deadly consequences.
Allen pleaded guilty in December 2024 to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute at least 40 grams of fentanyl. In addition to his prison term, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ordered Allen to serve five years of supervised release following his incarceration.
Court documents describe Allen’s role as a broker, a middleman who connected East Coast dealers with West Coast suppliers. He entered the operation through D.C.-based associates who introduced him to Hector David Valdez, a Los Angeles-based distributor of counterfeit pills pressed with fentanyl. Throughout the conspiracy, Allen made approximately 65 trips to Los Angeles to negotiate and facilitate deals, typically traveling through Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). His compensation came in the form of commissions, which he used to finance a lifestyle he flaunted online.
But behind the image of fast money and cross-country flights lies a more sobering reality. The investigation began with the overdose death of Diamond Lynch, a young mother from Southeast D.C. Her death became a starting point for federal agents, who followed the evidence to uncover a sprawling distribution network stretching from Mexico to Southern California to the mid-Atlantic.
Since the investigation began, authorities have seized more than 450,000 fentanyl pills, over 1.5 kilograms of powdered fentanyl, and 30 firearms. Prosecutors emphasized the scale and lethality of the operation, noting that even small amounts of fentanyl can prove fatal.
Allen’s sentencing marks a significant development in an ongoing effort led by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), which coordinates across federal and local agencies to dismantle high-level narcotics operations.
While Allen’s case closes a chapter, the broader investigation continues—driven by the goal of curbing a drug epidemic that has devastated families and communities from Los Angeles to Washington.
