Drug trafficking leader, Sallisaw resident sentenced
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Heath L.Taylor, 46, of LeFlore County, was sentenced to life in prison for drug conspiracy.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Heath L.Taylor, 46, of LeFlore County, was sentenced to life in prison for drug conspiracy.
Taylor’s co-defendants were sentenced at hearings held between Oct. 16, 2024, and April 25, 2025. Seven members of the drug trafficking organization were sentenced for drug conspiracy, which included Tracie A. Sells, 55, of Sallisaw, for 41 months.
According to investigators, between August 2022 and November 2023, Taylor, who was serving time in the Oklahoma State Penitentiary, led a drug trafficking organization operating in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
As part of that conspiracy, non-incarcerated members obtained, stored, and distributed over 25 kilograms of methamphetamine and approximately 465 grams of fentanyl from a base of stash houses. The stash houses also served as a base of operations where the defendants funneled drug proceeds, stored drug trafficking assets, and obtained and stored firearms.
This joint investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, working in cooperation with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, Oklahoma Department of Corrections Office of the Inspector General, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and IRS Criminal Investigation.
Additionally, several law enforcement agencies contributed at various stages of the investigation, including the Bureau of Indian Affairs, District 16 and 18’s Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, Poteau Police Department, Spiro Police Department, Choctaw Nation Lighthorse Police, Seminole Police Department, Pittsburg County Sheriff’s Office, LeFlore County Sheriff’s Office, Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office, and United States Marshals Service.
“ There should never be any doubt that there are countless victims of drug trafficking, and the violence associated with it,” said DEA Dallas Special Agent in Charge Eduardo A. Chavez, who oversees DEA operations in Oklahoma. “Defendant Taylor and his associates took advantage of individuals and showed no concern for those who stood in their path of destruction. Sentences of this nature are a win for our victims and a warning to drug traffickers.”
“Drug trafficking and the illegal activity associated with it continues to threaten the safety of the general public throughout our communities. Life in a federal prison should serve as a reminder to those who think they fly under the radar that they are and will continue to be our target. ATF remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to keep illegal substances out of our communities and investigating those responsible,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Bennie Mims.
Defendants are in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
