GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Two Green Bay brothers are facing over a decade in federal prison for trafficking fentanyl disguised as Percocet.
Don James, Jr., 24, and Frederick Brewer, 34, will be facing 15 and 12 years in federal prison, respectively, after being convicted of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute and distributing fentanyl.
According to evidence provided at trial, James and Brewer sold fentanyl pills to an informant working with the Brown County Drug Task Force last January and February.
The fentanyl pills had been illicitly manufactured to resemble Percocet.
After arresting Brewer, investigators learned that his brother, James, had bought thousands of counterfeit Percocet pills containing fentanyl. James flew to Arizona in January of 2022 to buy at least 15,000 pills. But while he was there, he sent a video to a large-scale buyer in Green Bay, showing he had at least 19,000 pills.
Upon return to the Green Bay area, James said he had 30,000 fentanyl pills and was ready to do business with the buyer.
Police say Brewer conspired with and assisted James in the fentanyl-trafficking operations.
When James was arrested, he attempted to swallow a bag of 58 fentanyl pills. Officers administered Narcan, a medication that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, to him and forced him to spit out the still-intact bag.
James later posted bail and was released but was then arrested that June when he was found in possession of over 750 fentanyl pills.
During sentencing, Senior U.S. District Judge William Griesbach said the brothers’ trafficking scheme was the equivalent to distributing poison.
