A Burleson man was sentenced on April 14 to more than 11 years in federal prison for his role in trafficking fentanyl as part of the Homeland Security Task Force, according to U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Zachary Don Mathis, age 32, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and received a sentence of 135 months from U.S. District Judge Amos L. Mazzant, III.
Court records show that Mathis was identified during a drug trafficking investigation in March 2022 involving the distribution of fentanyl-laced pills within the Eastern District of Texas. Mathis admitted his involvement in a conspiracy responsible for distributing at least four kilograms of a mixture containing fentanyl, which he provided to others for further distribution.
The case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative created by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The task force brings together government agencies with the goal of eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating both inside and outside the United States. The task force emphasizes prosecuting crimes involving children and uses all available legal tools against violent offenders.
The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Johnson prosecuted it.
