Two men sentenced in Sauk County fentanyl trafficking case

Two men have been sentenced in federal court for their roles in a fentanyl pill trafficking group operating in Sauk County and surrounding areas.

Kenneth O. Phillips, 40, Wisconsin Dells, was sentenced on Nov. 21 by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to six years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute fentanyl. The prison term will be followed by four years of supervised release. Phillips pleaded guilty to this charge on Sept. 5.

Brandon S. Stevens, 44, Reedsburg, was sentenced Nov. 20 by Judge Peterson to one year and one day in federal prison for conspiring to distribute fentanyl. The prison term will be followed by three years of supervised release. Stevens pleaded guilty to this charge on Sept. 4.

The investigation revealed that a co-defendant, Ames Basham, was mailing parcels containing fentanyl pills from California to Kenneth Phillips, another co-defendant Chrystal Mueller, and Brandon Stevens at various addresses in Wisconsin for local distribution. The pills were blue and marked “M30,” which should have been prescription Oxycodone pills. In fact, the pills contained fentanyl and other substances. Nineteen parcels of fentanyl pills were mailed from California to Wisconsin between January and April 2022. The USPIS intercepted parcels addressed to Phillips, Mueller, and Stevens in March and April and found they contained fentanyl pills.

Phillips was identified as the local leader of the group. He provided addresses to Basham, who in turn mailed the drug laden parcels to Wisconsin. Stevens worked for the United States Postal Service as a mail carrier and would pick up parcels mailed by Basham that were on his route and bring them to his partner, Mueller. He also identified an abandoned residence on his mail route where drug parcels could be mailed. Phillips and Mueller sold the fentanyl pills locally.

At the time of these offenses, Phillips was on state supervision for a battery conviction.

At Stevens’s sentencing, Judge Peterson noted that while Stevens was the least culpable of the group, he played a significant role in the drug trafficking and his conduct was a gross violation of the trust placed in him as a mail carrier.

At Phillips’s sentencing, Judge Peterson found that Phillips oversaw the group and noted that the crime was very serious because of the dangers of introducing counterfeit OxyContin pills containing fentanyl into the community.

Two others were charged in connection with this drug trafficking conspiracy. Co-defendants Basham and Mueller have both pleaded guilty and will be sentenced in the coming months.

The charges against Stevens and Phillips are the result of an investigation conducted by the United States Postal Inspection Service, Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office and the Wisconsin State Patrol.