A now former Texas Tech University professor is facing federal drug charges, accused with two others of distributing fentanyl.
Daniel Taylor, 50, of Lubbock was charged Wednesday with conspiracy to distribute or possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, according to a news release from the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.
Taylor was an assistant professor of marketing and supply chain management at Texas Tech’s Rawls College of Business, according to the release. Texas Tech said in a statement Friday that it “has addressed the matter in accordance with institutional policy. The individual is no longer employed at Texas Tech University.”
In a statement to The Dallas Morning News, Cynthia Velazquez, a communications officer with the DEA Dallas Field Division, said this is the first time in the past year that the office has come across an educator alleged to be involved in drug trafficking in North Texas.
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“This arrest underscores the stark and troubling irony that an individual entrusted with educating others instead chose to distribute one of the deadliest drugs facing our communities today,” DEA Dallas Field Division Special Agent in Charge Joseph Tucker said in the federal news release. “While this conduct is in no way reflective of Texas Tech University, it highlights that fentanyl trafficking can emerge from any corner of our society.”
The other two people charged are Alisha Red-Eagle, 21, and Mackenzie Gilcrease, 28, both of Lubbock.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, Taylor had been under investigation for several months and is accused of distributing fentanyl powder. In January, authorities watched Red-Eagle leave Taylor’s vehicle at a convenience store and get into an SUV, the news release said.
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A short while later, a Lubbock County sheriff’s deputy initiated a traffic stop for the SUV. The deputy was told that a male in the back seat of the SUV “was overdosing on suspected fentanyl supplied by Red-Eagle.” They administered Narcan and emergency aid.
Officers searched the SUV, the release said, and “found five fentanyl pills, a clear baggie containing fentanyl, five aluminum foil wrappers containing fentanyl residue, and a pink baggie containing fentanyl powder.”
Then on Feb. 17, agents saw Gilcrease meet Taylor at his home. After Gilcrease left the apartment, a sheriff’s deputy initiated a stop for a traffic violation. A K-9 unit detected the odor of narcotics, which led deputies to search the truck, the release said. They found three pink plastic baggies of fentanyl and a plastic baggie containing methamphetamine.
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Just after midnight, law enforcement searched Taylor’s home. According to the news release, authorities found white powder and a crystal-like substance that tested positive for methamphetamine and alleged drug supplies.
All three remain in federal custody. If convicted, each would face up to 20 years in federal prison.
The DEA said in its statement to The News it is important for “everyone from community leaders, clergy, educators, parents, physicians, pharmacists, and law enforcement to take an active role in raising awareness” about the dangers of fentanyl through education. Free resources are available at dea.gov/fentanylfree.
Staff writer Suryatapa Chakraborty contributed to this report.
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