Globe Man Receives Four Years in Federal Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Fentanyl

Homeland Security Task Force Investigation Led to Arrest and Conviction Phoenix, Ariz. – A Globe, Arizona, man was sentenced in federal court for Conspiring to Distribute Fentanyl. James Morris Wilckens, 55, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John J. Tuchi to 48 months in prison to be followed by 36 months of supervised release. During a Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) investigation, Wilckens was identified as a member of a cross-border smuggling ring engaged in the distribution of fentanyl in Globe and the surrounding communities. In June 2024, he was arrested near Claypool after being found in possession of 230 fentanyl pills that were packaged for sale. This investigation is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Tucson comprises agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), U.S. Border Patrol, the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Marshals Service, IRS-Criminal Investigation, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Secret Service, the Bureau of Land Management, Arizona Department of Public Safety, Tucson Police Department, Pima County Sheriff's Office, Oro Valle Police Department, Marana Police Department, and Arizona HIDTA.