Mother and Son Sentenced to Prison for Selling Meth Online
A federal judge sentenced a mother-son duo to a combined 18 years in prison for selling methamphetamine on the darkweb.
U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman sentenced Mary Jane McIntyre, 61, to 72 months in prison for possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. Last month, U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor sentenced McIntyre’s son, Sean Alexander Harris, to 144 months in prison for a similar charge.
In March 2020, the North Texas Parcel Task Force launched an investigation into “numerous suspicious packages originating from the Dallas - Fort Worth area.” According to a complaint written by Special Agent Duane Vasquez of the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, the packages had characteristics similar to packages linked to darkweb drug activity. The packages listed a fake company’s address as the return address. The first package opened by investigators contained roughly five grams of methamphetamine.
Open-source intelligence gathering somehow led investigators to identify the person who had dropped the packages off at the Post Office as Harris. The complaint identifies the username @versacesean as Harris’s username on social media (Instagram and an actor profile on Backstage.com).
Sean Harris considered himself an actor apparently.
Investigators conducted physical surveillance of Harris as he received packages of methamphetamine from California and mailed packages of meth and marijuana to customers throughout the United States. The North Texas Parcel Task Force linked Harris to 8,400 packages between October 2019 and October 2020. The packages contained an estimated total of more than 75 pounds of meth.
Thomas Noyes, Inspector in Charge of the Fort Worth Division:
“Suspects mistakenly believe they can remain hidden in the shadows of the dark web. Postal Inspectors’ objectives are to rid the mail of illicit drug trafficking, preserve the integrity of the mail, and, most importantly, provide a safe environment for postal employees and the American public. The sentencing handed down today should serve as a reminder to other perpetrators engaged in this type of criminal activity that we will ensure they are brought to justice. We thank the USPS-OIG and DEA for their partnership, in addition to the U.S. Attorney’s Office who remain a steadfast protector of the public.”