LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – A Texas Tech University marketing and supply chain management professor and two others were federally charged for their roles in a fentanyl distribution conspiracy, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould announced.<\/p>\n
Daniel Taylor, 50, of Lubbock, was charged by federal complaint on February 18, 2026, with conspiracy to distribute or possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. Taylor is an assistant professor of marketing and supply chain management with Texas Tech\u2019s Rawls College of Business. Also charged are Alisha Red-Eagle, 21, and Mackenzie Gilcrease, 28, both of Lubbock.<\/p>\n
According to the complaint, Taylor distributed two variations of fentanyl powder: one called \u201cPink Flamingo\u201d and the other called \u201cGhost.\u201d The complaint alleges that Taylor has been under investigation for drug distribution over the last several months.<\/p>\n
Specific instances of alleged drug activity include January 12, 2026, when law enforcement agents saw Red-Eagle enter and exit Taylor\u2019s vehicle at a Lubbock convenience store, and then Red-Eagle entered a white SUV that left the location. When a Lubbock County Sheriff\u2019s Deputy stopped the SUV for a traffic violation, the SUV\u2019s occupants advised that a male in the back seat was overdosing on suspected fentanyl supplied by Red-Eagle. Narcan and EMS services were administered.<\/p>\n
While searching the SUV, officers found five fentanyl pills, a clear baggie containing fentanyl, five aluminum foil wrappers containing fentanyl residue, and a pink baggie containing fentanyl powder.<\/p>\n
\u201cInstead of focusing on teaching students supply chain management, the defendant, as alleged, was developing and implementing his own supply chain of lethal fentanyl into the streets of Lubbock,\u201d Raybould said. \u201cAs alleged, at least in one instance, the fentanyl the defendant peddled through his drug trafficking organization caused an overdose. We hope the students of Texas Tech and the Lubbock community understand that my office will vigorously prosecute drug dealers and drug traffickers no matter if you are a professor or a street level dealer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis 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,\u201d said DEA Dallas Field Division Special Agent in Charge Joseph B. Tucker. \u201cWhile this conduct is in no way reflective of Texas Tech University, it highlights that fentanyl trafficking can emerge from any corner of our society, and DEA, alongside our federal, state, and local partners, remains committed to identifying and holding accountable those who choose to profit from this poison.\u201d<\/p>\n
The complaint further alleges that on the evening of February 17, 2026, agents saw Gilcrease meet Taylor at his residence, enter and exit his apartment, and leave the location in a pickup truck. A Lubbock County Sheriff\u2019s Deputy stopped the truck for a traffic violation and identified Gilcrease as the driver and sole occupant.<\/p>\n
After a K-9 alerted to the vehicle for the odor of narcotics, deputies searched the truck and found three pink plastic baggies of fentanyl inside of a pink envelope that contained a pink flamingo graphic. They also found a pink plastic baggie containing methamphetamine.<\/p>\n
Just after midnight on February 18, 2026, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant for Taylor\u2019s home, locating multiple quantities of white powder and a crystal-like substance that tested positive for methamphetamine, along with pink envelopes, plastic baggies with pink flamingo stickers, and baggies containing a ghost graphic.<\/p>\n
All three defendants appeared before a United States Magistrate Judge in Lubbock this morning for initial appearances on the charges. They remain in federal custody pending further court proceedings. If convicted, each defendant faces a statutory maximum sentence of twenty years in federal prison.<\/p>\n
This investigation was a joint operation of the Texas Anti-Gang Center and the Caprock Hi-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. This group is composed of agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Lubbock County Sheriff\u2019s Office, and the Lubbock Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Stephen Rancourt is prosecuting the case.<\/p>\n
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