Amarillo Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Fentanyl Distribution

A violent Amarillo fentanyl distributor has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton. 

Johnny Evrick Johnson, Jr., 30, was indicted in December 2022 and pleaded guilty in June 2023 to distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Johnson was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk to 240 months in federal prison, an upward variance. At sentencing, the court discussed Johnson’s use of multiple “trap houses” and the fact that Johnson provided several of his coconspirators with firearms to engage in drug trafficking and other violent acts, including robberies. The court also discussed evidence that linked Johnson to two armed robberies that occurred in July 2019.

According to court documents, on June 8, 2022, Johnson agreed to sell an undercover officer 100 fentanyl pills. On June 10, 2022, Johnson meet with the undercover officer in a parking lot and distributed the fentanyl pills. This quantity of fentanyl is only consistent with distribution.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Amarillo Police Department, and several state and local partners. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Long prosecuted the case.