Michigan man sentenced in Arizona fentanyl conspiracy case

A Michigan man will spend five years in federal prison for his role in an Arizona-based drug ring that used the U.S. Mail to traffic nearly a kilogram of powdered fentanyl across the country.

Mark Craythorn Thompson, 63, of Detroit, was sentenced June 25 by U.S. District Judge Rosemary Márquez to 60 months in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.

Following his release, Thompson will face four years of supervised release. He previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.

The charges stem from a cross-country intercept on Sept. 28, 2023, when federal authorities tracking an Arizona drug pipeline caught Thompson picking up a parcel in Detroit. Inside the package, which had been mailed from Arizona, investigators found 997.3 grams (just over two pounds) of powdered fentanyl.

Prosecutors said Thompson intended to supply the lethal synthetic opioid to individuals across the Detroit metro area.

The arrest and successful conviction were spearheaded by the Homeland Security Task Force, an interagency enforcement initiative established under Executive Order 14159 to dismantle transnational criminal organizations and illegal trafficking networks operating within U.S. borders.

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