Man Pleads Guilty In Arkansas After Making Counterfeit Oxycodone Pills At His Home

Click here to read about other counterfeit medicine incidents in Arkansas

5 News reported on the guilty plea of a Fayetteville, Arkansas man who was making counterfeit oxycodone pills in his home. Lewis R. Chafin pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a tableting or encapsulating machine with the intent to manufacture fentanyl. Police arrested Chafin in April after the 4th Judicial Drug Task Force received a tip about Chafin’s activities.

According to court documents, that tip came from a confidential source to the Springdale Police Department on April 4, 2018 who stated that “the occupant of the home possessed a pill press that was being utilized to produce and distribute fentanyl and oxycodone pills.” When police searched the residence the next day, they found a large locked toolbox in Chafin’s room, and the key to open it was on his keychain. Inside, law enforcement found a dismantled pill press, various tools, several dies, binding agents, and 43 counterfeit oxycodone pills. The dies and a funnel were covered with a powdery residue that investigators said was consistent with the recent use to manufacture pills.

5 News listed the following seized drugs: fentanyl, oxycodone, morphine, zolpidem, alprazolam, and heroin residue. Chafin is free on bond. His sentencing date has not been set yet, but he faces up to ten years in prison and fine of up to $250,000. The 4th Judicial Task Force is made up of investigators from police agencies in Fayetteville, Springdale, Prairie Grove, Lincoln, Farmington, West Fork, Greenland, Johnson, Tontitown, Elkins, and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. To learn more about counterfeit drug incidents in Arkansas, you can read PSM’s 2018 Arkansas State Infosheet.