By KELSIE THOMPSON

Journal Staff Writer

MARQUETTE – A federal drug case resulting in prison for five individuals is indicative of a much larger opioid problem in Michigan and the Upper Peninsula, officials said Friday.

The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday held a press conference at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Marquette announcing the results of a joint investigation into heroin trafficking from Detroit to Marquette County.

Included in investigating agencies were the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, Michigan State Police, Upper Peninsula Substance Enforcement Team and the Forsyth Township Police Department.

The investigation led to the following convictions:

• Lamarol Travron Abram, 39, of Detroit was sentenced March 10 to 170 months in federal prison on charges of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine from 2012-2015.

• Megan Marie Tinney, 25, of Gwinn was sentenced May 18 to 46 months in federal prison after being convicted of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine from 2012-2015.

• Jimmy Wayne McFied, 33, of Gwinn was sentenced to 48 months in prison on one count of distribution of heroin.

• Carlton Murray, Jr., 37, of Gwinn was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for possession of heroin and cocaine with intent to distribute.

• Rachel Lynn Hanson, 32, of Ishpeming was sentenced to 151 months in federal prison for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.

Maarteen Vermaat, assistant U.S. attorney for the Western District of Michigan, said the DEA and UPSET have known for years there was a drug trafficking problem on the former K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base, and that various agencies have been investigating and prosecuting cases in the area for a long time.

But in 2013, they began to get more information indicating a much larger conspiracy.

Abram and his associates were likely transporting 1/10th of a kilogram of heroin from Detroit to the U.P. about two to three times a month, Vermaat said.

It was discovered when officers conducted a traffic stop on one of the suspects in Mackinaw County and found a large quantity of heroin, as well as controlled drug buys in K.I. Sawyer.

A kilogram of heroin is an initial investment of about $70,000, but can be turned into $600,000 through distribution. One-tenth of a gram of heroin could sell for about $10 to $20 in Detroit, but could go for as much as $50 in the U.P., Detective Lt. Tim Sholander of UPSET said.

“There’s a huge incentive for drug dealers to come to the Upper Peninsula and make this their destination area to increase sales,” he said.

Michigan State Police trooper Brian Muladore of the Negaunee Post said two individuals with connections to this case have died in the past two weeks as the result of prolonged drug abuse, bringing light to the much larger problem of addiction and opioid drug abuse in the area.

Vermaat read another shocking statistic relating to opioid use: “One of the statistics that really stands out is the rate of babies born with neonatal abstinence syndrome,” he said, which occurs when a newborn was exposed to opiates while in the womb. “In the U.P., it’s about 21 babies per 1,000 births, and that’s way higher than what we’re seeing in the rest of the state. There’s a particular problem with opiate, prescription drugs and heroin abuse in the U.P. and we’re seeing it in the hospitals.”

Tinney, who Vermaat said gave birth to two children while using prescription opioids and heroin daily since 21 years old, was given the opportunity to participate in the Federal Bureau of Prison’s Residential Drug Abuse Program.

“She has one advantage that a lot of addicts don’t have,” he said.

Although five individuals have been convicted on charges related to the trafficking, Vermaat said there is much work still to be done.

“That doesn’t end the problem,” he said. “It’s really indicative of a much larger problem. There is a significant demand for heroin and prescription drugs here in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Marquette County in particular.”

Forsyth police Chief Gordon Warchock said the community needs to come together to solve the problem – from neighbors to educators to medical professionals.

“This is a law enforcement problem, but it’s not just our problem,” he said. “We can’t fix it alone. We need our communities to help us.”

Kelsie Thompson can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 206. Her email address is kthompson@miningjournal.net.