Tyla Griffin, a 36-year-old resident of Phoenix, has been sentenced to 92 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. This sentence comes as a result of Griffin’s involvement in a conspiracy to distribute and distribute fentanyl. The announcement was made by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania on February 21.
Griffin relocated to Phoenix in January 2020, coming from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, according to the office.
In Arizona, she and her co-conspirator, Davon Beckford, formed a relationship with a fentanyl supplier in the state, as stated by the office.
Griffin collaborated with Beckford and a group of individuals to distribute fentanyl pills to drug dealers they were previously acquainted with in Luzerne County, according to the office.
According to the office, Griffin used the U.S. Postal Service to send a large quantity of fentanyl pills from Arizona to her drug contacts in Pennsylvania.
On February 28, 2023, she admitted her involvement in the fentanyl trafficking conspiracy in federal court in Scranton.
Beckford, who was also involved in the case, received a 20-year prison sentence on January 24, 2025, as confirmed by the office. The sentence was pronounced by U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani.
Beckford admitted to distributing fentanyl, which led to a fatal outcome, as confirmed by the office.
The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is actively combating the fentanyl crisis, as per federal authorities.
In 2023, the DEA made a significant seizure of counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl. They confiscated over 80 million of these dangerous pills. Additionally, they also seized approximately 12,000 pounds of fentanyl powder. To put it into perspective, this amount of fentanyl is equivalent to over 390 million lethal doses. This seizure marks another step in the fight against the illicit drug trade.
In 2024, the agency seized approximately 55.5 million fentanyl pills and thousands of pounds of fentanyl powder. These quantities amount to over 367 million deadly doses.