SPOKANE — A federal judge sentenced a 37-year-old Spokane man to 20 years in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release for operating a commercial pill press that produced fentanyl-laced drugs from his home basement.
U.S. District Judge Thomas O. Rice imposed the sentence on Nicholas Adams on Friday for his role in the operation, which authorities said could have yielded more than 2 million potentially lethal fentanyl pills.
Adams and co-defendant Timothy Maddox obtained the pill press by mail from China and set it up in Adams’ residence in Spokane’s Hillyard neighborhood, according to court documents and details from the sentencing hearing. They mixed fentanyl powder with cutting agents to create pills for bulk distribution.
Search warrants executed in November 2023 at multiple locations recovered large quantities of fentanyl powder, cutting agents, pill press components and several firearms, including an operational commercial pill press. The Department of Ecology assisted due to hazardous contamination throughout Adams’ home.
Drug Enforcement Administration calculations showed the fentanyl on hand was sufficient to produce over 2 million pills with lethal doses — enough to kill the entire population of Spokane County nearly four times.
Investigators also found substantial amounts of methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, MDMA and marijuana. Both men had multiple loaded firearms in their homes, including handguns, modified shotguns and AK-style rifles. Maddox’s residence contained a firearm equipped with a “Glock switch” converting it to a fully automatic machine gun, along with a loaded drum magazine and three sets of body armor.
Adams has a history of criminal involvement since 2012, including acts of violence, violations of court orders protecting victims and persistent drug abuse despite interventions. After his arrest, he was briefly released for inpatient treatment but continued using drugs and was returned to custody.
“This 20-year sentence advances DEA’s unwavering commitment to a Fentanyl Free America,” said Robert A. Saccone, special agent in charge of the DEA Seattle Field Division. “By possessing massive amounts of fentanyl powder and operating a commercial pill press capable of producing more than two million potentially lethal fentanyl pills, the defendant was directly placing lives in Spokane County at risk.”
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Vanessa Serrano called stopping fentanyl production “one of the most challenging crises we face as law enforcement,” noting the investigation’s “staggering” impact in removing a heavily armed repeat offender from the community.
HSI Seattle Acting Special Agent in Charge April Miller said the sentences for Adams and Maddox removed “a major public safety threat” in one of Eastern Washington’s largest fentanyl manufacturing cases, shutting down an operation that endangered a residential area.
Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich praised the collaboration between local and federal agencies for bringing “justice and safety” to the region.
The case was investigated by the DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, the Regional Anti-Violence Enforcement & Narcotics Task Force and the Spokane Police Department.
Author: Mario Lotmore
