Michigan Drug Trafficking Defense Lawyers

Michigan Drug Trafficking Defense Lawyers

Welcome to Spodek Law Group. Our goal is to help people facing drug trafficking charges in Michigan understand something that fundamentally changes how you should approach your defense. Michigan is not just another Midwest state with a drug problem. Michigan is THE CROSSROADS between two hemispheres. Detroit sits at the intersection where Southwest Border drugs flow to New York City AND where Canadian smuggling networks access American markets. The Ambassador Bridge handles 8,000 commercial trucks every single day – the busiest crossing in North America.

Here’s what most Michigan drug trafficking defense attorneys won’t explain upfront: When federal agents find 40 kilograms of fentanyl in a Detroit basement stash house – the largest seizure in Michigan history – they’re not discovering a local operation. They’re intercepting cargo on the most heavily documented trafficking infrastructure in the Western Hemisphere. The same networks that move drugs from Mexico through Chicago to Detroit also move drugs from Detroit into Canada. You’re not facing prosecution in a random location. You’re facing prosecution at the hub where everything converges.

But here’s the reality that makes Michigan truly dangerous for drug trafficking defendants. Ricardo Delgado II received 720 months – 60 years – for leading a drug conspiracy that imported cocaine and fentanyl from Mexico to the Saginaw-Bay region. Keith Haskins mailed 87 kilograms of methamphetamine from California to Detroit in plastic buckets through the United States Postal Service. Nineteen defendants from Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Ohio were indicted together when their leader was arrested in Nebraska with over 1,000 grams of fentanyl destined for Detroit. Michigan isn’t experiencing a drug problem. Michigan is experiencing what happens when your state becomes the central node on a continental trafficking network.

The Two-Hemisphere Reality: Why Michigan Gets Drugs From BOTH Directions

Theres a geographic reality that Michigan defendants dont understand until there sitting in federal court. Michigan is the ONLY state in America that sits at the intersection of BOTH major drug trafficking corridors – the Southwest Border pipeline coming up through Chicago AND the Canadian smuggling routes through Detroit.

Think about what that means. Drugs flow north from Mexico through Texas and California, through Chicago on I-94, and into Detroit. But drugs also flow SOUTH from Canada, through the Ambassador Bridge and Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, into American distribution networks. Your not facing prosecution in a state that receives drugs from one direction. Your facing prosecution in the state where BOTH hemispheres converge.

Michigan is the ONLY state accessing both the Southwest Border pipeline (I-94 from Chicago) AND Canadian smuggling routes (Ambassador Bridge, Blue Water Bridge, Detroit-Windsor Tunnel).

Consider what this means practicaly for your case. The Michigan HIDTA region designates 10 counties for concentrated federal enforcement: Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Genesee, Washtenaw, Saginaw in the east, and Allegan, Kalamazoo, Kent, Van Buren in the west. Thats aproximately 6 million people living in counties were federal coordination is automaticaly built into every drug investigation.

Heres the part that suprises defendants. Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, and Kalamazoo arnt seperate drug markets. There all part of the same supply chain. Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo are located MIDWAY between Chicago and Detroit – the exact center of the trafficking corridor. Federal agents dont see western Michigan and eastern Michigan as diffrent problems. They see one integrated network that spans the entire state.

8,000 Trucks Daily: The Ambassador Bridge Problem

OK so lets talk about the Ambassador Bridge, becuase this single crossing point changes how federal agents view every Michigan drug case.

The Ambassador Bridge connects Detroit to Windsor, Ontario. Its the busiest commercial border crossing in North America. Eight thousand trucks cross it every single day. Those trucks are carrying legitimate cargo – produce, auto parts, manufacturing supplies. But there carring something else too. In October 2024, Canadian border officers seized 615 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a shipment of grapes crossing the Ambassador Bridge. Thats over 1,350 pounds of cocaine concealed in fruit.

Heres the breakdown of what federal agents found when they dismantled a single Canadian trafficking network in January 2024. Five Canadians were arrested and will be extradited to the United States. The network trafficked 845 kilograms of methamphetamine, 951 kilograms of cocaine, 20 kilograms of fentanyl, and 4 kilograms of heroin. The wholesale value ranged from $16 million to $28 million. The drivers used the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, the Ambassador Bridge, the Blue Water Bridge, and the Buffalo Peace Bridge – redundant routes for the same cargo.

The Ambassador Bridge handles 8,000 trucks daily with limited inspection capacity – 615 kg cocaine was hidden in grapes, completely defeating the world’s most monitored border crossing.

Think about what this case reveals about the system your facing. The same network used FOUR diffrent border crossings. They had dozons of drivers working with dozons of trucking companies. They were moving nearly 2,000 kilograms of drugs worth up to $28 million. This wasnt a small operation that got caught. This was one node on a continental infrastructure that uses Michigan as its central hub.

40 Kilograms in a Basement: What Federal Agents Found in Detroit

Let me show you exactley what federal enforcement looks like in Michigan, becuase this single case demonstrates the scale of what agents are finding at the crossroads.

On March 28, 2024, federal agents executed search warrants at three locations connected to Barry Willis. Willis was 55 years old, a resident of Clinton Township, and the owner of a Detroit gas station. The gas station was his cover. When agents searched his residence, the gas station, and a suspected stash house in Detroit, they found the largest fentanyl seizure in Michigan history.

In the basement of that Detroit stash house, agents recovered over 40 kilograms of fentanyl in both pill and powder form. They also found materials for manufacturing fentanyl pills: a pill press, narcotics scales, and drug recipes. Across all three locations, agents seized four handguns and over $100,000 in cash.

Think about what 40 kilograms of fentanyl actualy represents. A lethal dose of fentanyl can be as small as 2 milligrams. Forty kilograms equals 40,000,000 milligrams. Thats enough fentanyl to potentialy kill 20 million people, stored in a basement in a Detroit neighborhood. The gas station owner wasnt selling a little bit of drugs on the side. He was operating a manufacturing and distribution center for one of the deadliest substances on earth.

Willis was indicted for possession of over 400 grams of fentanyl with intent to distribute, possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, and felon in possession of firearms. The 400-gram threshold for fentanyl triggers a mandatory minimum of 20 years. At 55 years old, Willis faces the realistic possability of dying in federal prison.

Todd Spodek has represented clients whose cases started with what they thought were smaller operations and expanded into major federal prosecutions. Understanding wheather your case connects to these larger investigations is critical to developing an effective defense strategy.

60 Years for One Man: How Michigan Conspiracy Charges Expand

Heres something that demonstrates exactley how federal drug cases expand in Michigan, becuase this single sentencing shows everything about how the system actualy works.

In November 2024, Ricardo Delgado II was sentenced to 720 months in federal prison. Thats 60 years. Delgado was 51 years old when he recieved that sentence, which means he will die in federal custody. He was found guilty at trial of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute at least five kilograms of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute at least 400 grams of fentanyl, and possession of a machinegun in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

The evidence established that Delgado was the leader of a large-scale drug conspiracy. His organization imported numerous kilograms of cocaine and fentanyl from Mexico for distribution in the Saginaw-Bay region. He wasnt just moving drugs. He was running an entire distribution network that connected Mexican sources to Michigan customers.

Think about what happens when you become the “leader” of a conspiracy in federal court. The conspiracy charges connect you to EVERYTHING the organization moved – not just what you personaly touched. If your organization moved 100 kilograms and you personaly handled 5 kilograms, your sentenced based on the 100. The machinegun enhancement alone can add decades to your sentence. The combination of quantity thresholds, weapons enhancements, and leadership role created a sentence that will last the rest of his natural life.

At Spodek Law Group, we understand that Michigan conspiracy cases carry diffrent implications than single-transaction arrests. The level of documentation federal agents have about your role, your communications, your connections to other defendants – all of it affects whether your facing years or decades.

The California-to-Detroit Pipeline: How Drugs Get Mailed Across America

Theres a trafficking method that most people dont think about until there facing federal charges for it, becuase this case reveals how drugs actualy travel across the country.

Keith Haskins had a simple operation. He would aquire large quantities of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine in California. He would package them in plastic buckets. And he would mail them through the United States Postal Service to his associate Kennie Smith in Detroit. The postal service became the trafficking infrastructure.

When federal agents intercepted the parcels and executed search warrants, they found staggering quantities. Over 87 kilograms of methamphetamine. Three kilograms of fentanyl. One kilogram of cocaine. Seven firearms. Hundreds of rounds of ammunition. All of it shipped through the mail in buckets.

Haskins recieved 18 years in federal prison. Smith recieved 125 months. The “armed drug conspiracy” charge attached becuase of the firearms, which dramatically increased the sentences for both defendants. The postal service records provided a complete paper trail of every shipment – dates, weights, tracking numbers. The evidence was overwhelming becuase they left a documented trail with every package.

10 HIDTA Counties: Where Federal Coordination Is Built In

Heres something that suprises even experienced criminal defense attorneys, becuase this federal designation changes how resources get deployed across your state.

Michigan has 10 HIDTA-designated counties divided into two clusters. The eastern cluster includes Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Genesee, Washtenaw, and Saginaw. The western cluster includes Allegan, Kalamazoo, Kent, and Van Buren. HIDTA stands for High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. The designation means concentrated federal resources, coordinated enforcement, and unified prosecution strategies.

Think about what that means for your case. If your arrested in any of these 10 counties, federal coordination is automaticaly built into the investigation. The local officers who arrested you are probly working with DEA, HSI, or FBI agents who have been building a larger case. Your arrest might be one piece of a conspiracy prosecution that involves defendants from Pennsylvania, Ohio, California, and Mexico.

The Michigan HIDTA region is centraly located between major drug markets in Chicago and New York City. Its connected by interstate highways to the Southwest Border and to Canada. Detroit serves as the PRIMARY distribution center for the entire Great Lakes region. Federal agents have been mapping every trafficking route through Michigan for years.

50 Grams to Life: Michigan’s Repeat Offender Reality

Let me explain something that changes how you should think about Michigan drug trafficking penalties, becuase Michigan’s mandatory minimum structure is among the harshest in the country.

For cocaine and heroin trafficking, possession of 50 to 450 grams triggers a mandatory minimum of 20 years. Possession of more than one kilogram can result in life imprisonment. The “650 lifer law” once required mandatory life sentences for 650 grams or more of Schedule I or II narcotics. Since 1998, its been reduced to a minimum of 20 years – which legislators apparently considered merciful.

Heres the penalty structure that every Michigan defendant needs to understand about repeat offenses:

SECOND OFFENSE (50+ grams): LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE. Under Section 333.7413 of the Michigan Public Health Code, a second or subsequent conviction for manufacturing, delivering, or possessing with intent to deliver more than 50 grams of a Schedule 1 or 2 narcotic or cocaine results in mandatory life imprisonment without the possability of parole. You die in prison.

Second offense with 50+ grams in Michigan = LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE – mandatory, no exceptions, no judicial discretion.

Think about what “mandatory” actualy means. The judge has no discretion. It dosent matter that you have children. It dosent matter that you were non-violent. It dosent matter that you cooperated. Fifty grams on your second offense equals life without parole. Period. The legislature decided this, and judges have to impose it regardles of the circumstances.

Detroit to Grand Rapids to Kalamazoo: The Supply Chain Spans the State

Heres something that changes how you should think about geography in Michigan drug cases, becuase federal agents dont see eastern Michigan and western Michigan as seperate problems.

Detroit is the primary distribution center for illicit drugs transported into and through the HIDTA region. Drugs arrive from Mexico via the Southwest Border, from Canada via the Ambassador Bridge, from California via mail. But they dont stay in Detroit. They flow outward to Flint, to Grand Rapids, to Kalamazoo, to smaller markets throughout the state.

Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo are located midway between Chicago and Detroit. Thats not an accident. Thats the exact center of the supply chain. Drugs can come from EITHER direction – from Chicago to the west or from Detroit to the east. The highways I-94, I-75, and I-69 intersect to create multiple trafficking corridors that cross the entire state.

Think about what happened with the 19-defendant indictment in August 2024. The defendants came from Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Ohio. The organization was based in Detroit and New Castle, Pennsylvania. Members traveled regularly between the cities. Christian Frierson, one of the leaders, was arrested on Interstate 80 near Omaha, Nebraska with a safe containing over 1,000 grams of fentanyl and nearly 250 grams of heroin. Nebraska. Over 1,000 miles from Detroit. All connected to the same Michigan-based trafficking network.

The First 48 Hours: What Happens After a Drug Arrest in Michigan

Let me tell you what happens in the first 48 hours after a drug arrest in Michigan, and why every decision during this period has lasting consequences that you cant undo later.

You get arrested. Maybe during a traffic stop on I-94 or I-75. Maybe when federal agents execute a search warrant connected to the Willis stash house or the Delgado organization. Maybe when your name comes up in connection with the Canadian trafficking network. Either way, your now in custody and the clock is running on decisions that will shape the rest of your life.

What happens next depends almost entireley on what you do and what your lawyer does. If you dont have a lawyer, federal agents are going to want to talk to you. There trained to appear freindly, reasonable, understanding. They might suggest that cooperation now will help you later. They might imply that your clearly a small fish and they just want information about the California or Canadian connections. What there actualy doing is gathering evidence.

Every word you say becomes evidence. Federal agents summarize there interviews in FD-302 forms. That summary becomes part of the discovery. If you say anything that contradicts evidence they already have, you can be charged with making false statements under 18 U.S.C. 1001. Thats an additional felony, independant of the drug charges. People have served years in prison not for the underlying offense but for what they said during the interview.

What You Need to Do Right Now

If your reading this article becuase you think you might be under investigation for drug trafficking in Michigan, or becuase something has already happened, heres what you need to understand about your immediate next steps.

Do not talk to federal agents without a lawyer present. It dosent matter how innocent you beleive you are. It dosent matter how much you want to explain your side. It dosent matter what they tell you about cooperation being good for you. Get a lawyer first. Everything else can wait. The investigation has been going on for years without your input. A few more days wont change anything except protecting your rights.

Understand that Michigan’s position as the two-hemisphere crossroads makes every case potentialy federal. The I-94 corridor from Chicago, the Ambassador Bridge to Canada, the 10 HIDTA counties, the multi-state trafficking networks – the investigation that led to your arrest probly involved federal coordination from the beginning. Assuming your facing state charges when federal agents are involved is a mistake that costs defendants decades under mandatory minimums.

Call us at 212-300-5196 for a confidential consultation. The decisions you make in the next few days will shape everything that follows. Understanding the system your facing, the specific challenges of your case, the realistic options available – this is what allows you to make informed decisions instead of panicked ones.

Spodek Law Group represents clients facing drug trafficking charges at both the state and federal level in Michigan. We understand the two-hemisphere reality, the Ambassador Bridge corridor, the 10 HIDTA counties, and how cases connect to documented trafficking networks that span from Mexico to Canada. We understand how the system realy works. Not the version they tell you about. The actual version where 60-year sentences happen and 40 kilograms of fentanyl get stored in Detroit basements.

Your situation is serious. But understanding what your facing is the first step toward facing it effectivley.