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SentencedSouthern Texas

Brothers get significant sentences for manufacturing deadly fentanyl-laced pills disguised as pain meds

Feb 7, 2024 · Sourced to the U.S. Department of Justice

This case reached the sentenced stage in the Department of Justice's public record. Everything below reflects only what the government itself announced, and links to the original release.

Two Corpus Christi brothers have been ordered to federal prison for manufacturing and distributing tens of thousands of fentanyl-laced pills disguised as legitimate pharmaceutical-grade pain medications

District

Southern Texas

Announced

Feb 7, 2024

Status

Sentenced

Defendants

  • Chad Williams Wesevich — age 40 · Corpus Christi, Texas · sentenced
  • Jamie Wesevich — age 41 · Corpus Christi, Texas · sentenced

Charges

  • Conspiracy to manufacture and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl

    Max: 360 months in prisonChad Williams Wesevich· pleaded guilty

  • Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime

    Max: 60 months in prisonChad Williams Wesevich· pleaded guilty

  • Conspiracy to commit money laundering

    Max: 240 months in prisonChad Williams Wesevich· pleaded guilty

  • Conspiracy to manufacture and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl

    Max: 360 months in prisonJamie Wesevich· pleaded guilty

  • Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime

    Max: 60 months in prisonJamie Wesevich· pleaded guilty

  • Conspiracy to commit money laundering

    Max: 240 months in prisonJamie Wesevich· pleaded guilty

Financial actions

  • seizure — Tens of thousands of counterfeit hydrocodone pills containing over 1,500 grams of fentanyl
  • seizure — Two industrial fentanyl pill presses, pill dies, vacuums, separators and other tools used in production of fentanyl-laced pills
  • seizure — Seven vehicles
  • seizure — Five houses
  • seizure — Seven guns
  • seizure: $350,000 — $350,000 in cryptocurrency and bulk cash

From the announcement

“We can’t get those people back,”
— David S. Morales, U.S. District Judge, U.S. District Court
“Synthetic opioids, like fentanyl, account for almost 70% of drug overdose deaths in the United States, and Corpus Christi is no stranger to this new epidemic,”
— Alamdar S. Hamdani, U.S. Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice
“The dismantling of this deadly drug trafficking organization, including the seizure of two industrial fentanyl pill presses, has made Corpus Christi a better and safer place to live.”
— Alamdar S. Hamdani, U.S. Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice
“There were several overdose/fentanyl poisoning deaths tied to the Wesevich Drug Trafficking Organization,”
— Daniel C. Comeaux, Special Agent in Charge, Houston Division, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
“The exemplary work of DEA agents alongside our federal and state partners sought justice for the families of victims who lost their lives due to the poison spread by Chad Wesevich and his co-conspirators.”
— Daniel C. Comeaux, Special Agent in Charge, Houston Division, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

Investigating agencies

Drug Enforcement AdministrationIRS Criminal InvestigationHomeland Security InvestigationsCorpus Christi Police DepartmentBureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and ExplosivesTexas Department of Public SafetyOrganized Crime Drug Enforcement Task ForcesU.S. Attorney's Office

Case details

Prosecuting office
Southern District of Texas
Judge
David S. Morales, U.S. District Judge
Asset Seizure And ForfeitureCounterfeit PharmaceuticalsCryptocurrencyDrug Trafficking Organization DismantlementFentanyl Manufacturing And DistributionFirearms In Drug TraffickingInternational Sourcing Of MaterialsMoney LaunderingMulti-Agency Law Enforcement CooperationOpioid Overdose Epidemic

Primary source

Every fact above is drawn from the Department of Justice's own announcement — a public-domain government record.

Read the original DOJ release →

This is a research and reference page compiled from public DOJ announcements, not legal advice. Details reflect the government's statements as of its release date and may not capture later developments such as appeals, dismissals, or overturned convictions. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.