Craig Eastman, a 21-year-old from Washington D.C., has been sentenced to 165 months in federal prison for his involvement in a large-scale fentanyl trafficking operation. This conspiracy distributed hundreds of thousands of fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills from Southern California across the United States, including Washington D.C. Eastman was among over two dozen individuals arrested in 2023 across various states including Virginia, Maryland, and California.
The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., DEA Special Agent Ibrar A. Mian, Inspector Damon E. Wood of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Eastman pleaded guilty on July 25, 2024, to conspiring to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl. Alongside his prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ordered him to serve five years of supervised release.
The investigation into this case began following the overdose death of Diamond Lynch in Southeast D.C., which led law enforcement to uncover a network transporting fentanyl from Mexico through Los Angeles to Washington D.C. The authorities have since seized over 450,000 fentanyl pills and multiple firearms.
Court documents reveal that Eastman joined the conspiracy after being introduced to a Los Angeles-based drug trafficker who supplied him with counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl. Eastman transported these drugs back to Washington D.C., using air travel or mail services for distribution.
Despite knowing about Ms. Lynch's overdose death linked to his supply, Eastman attempted to sell the remaining batch at a discount instead of disposing of them safely.
Law enforcement found firearms at Eastman's residence on several occasions during searches conducted between September and December 2021. They recovered significant quantities of cash and drugs alongside weapons like machine guns.
The investigation involved collaboration between multiple agencies including the DEA Washington Division, U.S. Postal Inspection Service Washington Division, Metropolitan Police Department, ATF, FBI Washington Field Office, and others from different jurisdictions.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Kinskey, Solomon S. Eppel, and Iris McCranie are prosecuting this case as part of efforts by the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section.