Grand Rapids Reporter

U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, Mark Totten, announced today that Anthony Martell Sanders, 30, of Grand Rapids, has been sentenced to 300 months in prison. Sanders is the last of four defendants convicted in a drug trafficking conspiracy that distributed fentanyl and methamphetamine throughout the Grand Rapids area.

“Illicit street drugs are extremely dangerous and claim more lives across Michigan and the United States than ever before,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “Everyone who uses illegal substances takes their life in their own hands. Only a speck of fentanyl can kill. And so often it laces other drugs. A user who thinks they’re taking one drug doesn’t realize they’re also taking a lethal dose of fentanyl and is dead in minutes. Moreover, the addition of xylazine means naloxone cannot reverse the effect of fentanyl. My office is committed to disrupting the pipelines that distribute these poisons in our communities, causing so much devastation.”

The following individuals have been convicted and sentenced as part of this investigation:

- Anthony Martell Sanders, 30, Grand Rapids: 300 months

- Amon Sudan Sanders-Outlaw, 23, Grand Rapids: 168 months

- Marquan Demond Staffney, 28, Grand Rapids: 75 months

- Javon Bridgeforth House, 32, Grand Rapids: 54 months

On January 14, 2023, officers with the Holland Department of Public Safety responded to an overdose death and discovered text messages linking Sanders as a drug supplier to the decedent. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) then conducted six undercover purchases of fentanyl and methamphetamine from Sanders and others. The investigation culminated with three search warrants executed in Grand Rapids on April 4, 2023.

At one apartment occupied by members of Sanders’ family, agents seized over five pounds of methamphetamine and fentanyl laced with xylazine or “tranq,” a veterinary tranquilizer not approved for human use.

In addition to these findings, law enforcement arrested Sanders at an Airbnb apartment on April 4 where they found evidence suggesting he mailed drugs into prisons through falsified envelopes appearing as legal mail from criminal defense firms.

“These sentences will ensure these individuals can no longer endanger lives in west Michigan,” said Orville O. Greene, Special Agent in Charge of Detroit Field Division of the DEA. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to rid communities of drug traffickers who threaten the safety and well-being of the general public.”

“I am pleased to see this successful prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan,” said Michigan Department of Corrections Director Heidi Washington. “These drugs present a serious danger to our prisons, placing staff and prisoners at risk.”

Throughout this conspiracy period, Sanders was on federal supervised release from a prior conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

During sentencing, U.S. District Judge Robert J. Jonker noted an "aggravating factor" that after pleading guilty, Sanders shared discovery material with a third party who posted it on Facebook attempting to intimidate a cooperating witness.

This case was investigated by multiple agencies including DEA; Michigan State Police; Michigan Department of Corrections; West Michigan Enforcement Team; Kent Area Narcotic Enforcement Team; Kent County Sheriff’s Office; Holland Department of Public Safety; Grand Rapids Police Department; Wyoming Department of Public Safety; Walker Police Department; and Grandville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vito S. Solitro and Stephanie M. Carowan prosecuted the case.

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