Heath Lloyd Taylor of LeFlore County, Oklahoma, has been sentenced to life in prison for his involvement in drug conspiracy activities, as announced by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma. The 46-year-old was identified as the leader of a drug trafficking organization operating while he was incarcerated in the Oklahoma State Penitentiary.
Seven of Taylor's co-defendants were sentenced between October 2024 and April 2025 for drug conspiracy charges. They included Aaron Guy Key from Poteau, Oklahoma, who received 240 months and Travis Austin Powers from Anderson, South Carolina, sentenced to 168 months. Other sentenced members were Mallory Nicole Laird, Terri Angela Stroud, Kandi Anne Hankins, Tracie Ann Sells, and Jeremy Paul Newman.
In addition, five individuals received sentences for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. These individuals included Taylor Dain Parnell Caldwell and Cody Wade Reece, both from Poteau, who were each sentenced to 151 months. Other sentenced were Heather Leigh Brown, Whitney Marie Granite, and Randi Shawn Gann.
The group was accused of acquiring, storing, and distributing large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl in the Eastern District of Oklahoma. The organization operated from various stash houses used to manage drug transactions, store assets, and obtain firearms.
The investigation was a joint effort led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, in cooperation with several federal, state, and local agencies. Key contributors included the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and IRS Criminal Investigation, among others.
DEA Dallas Special Agent in Charge Eduardo A. Chavez commented on the outcome, saying, “Defendant Taylor and his associates took advantage of individuals and showed no concern for those who stood in their path of destruction. Sentences of this nature are a win for our victims and a warning to drug traffickers.”
ATF Special Agent Bennie Mims and OBN Director Donnie Anderson commended the efforts of the law enforcement teams, emphasizing that the operation sends a clear message to those engaged in criminal activity that they will continue to be targets for law enforcement.
U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Wilson noted that the collaboration of federal, state, tribal, and local law enforcement successfully dismantled a dangerous drug operation around the Poteau area.
The sentencing hearings were conducted by Chief U.S. District Judge Ronald A. White and U.S. District Judge Raúl M. Arias-Marxuach. The defendants remain in U.S. Marshals Service custody pending transportation to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to serve their sentences.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation, a multi-agency effort focused on identifying and dismantling high-level drug traffickers and related criminal organizations.