A Stockton man pleads guilty to a major drug conspiracy to manufacture pills

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jamar Deontae Barnes, 42, of Stockton, pleaded guilty Tuesday to his role in a conspiracy to manufacture and distribute counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, methamphetamine and other drugs, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert. Barnes also pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute meth pills.

Court documents show that from September 2015 to May 2019, Barnes worked with his twin brother, Jamaine Dontae Barnes, and others to manufacture thousands of counterfeit pills designed to look like prescription drugs. Using pill presses, the group manufactured pills containing fentanyl, furanyl fentanyl, heroin and other synthetic opioids, as well as methamphetamine pills disguised as ecstasy. During a May 2019 search of Barnes’ residence in Stockton, law enforcement officers seized a pill press, powders and pills containing methamphetamine and furanyl fentanyl.

Barnes’ guilty plea comes as part of a widening federal investigation into the drug ring. Nine other defendants connected to the operation also pleaded guilty. Barnes’ sentencing is scheduled for March 3, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison, with the possibility of life in prison.

The investigation involved numerous agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the US Marshals Service and local and state law enforcement partners. The case was part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) initiative, which targets the most important criminal organizations that threaten the United States.