Houston man sentenced to prison for trafficking counterfeit opiate pills laced with fentanyl, other narcotics out of local auto shop

HOUSTON — A Houston man was sentenced Aug. 10 to more than 17 years in prison for trafficking counterfeit opiate pills laced with fentanyl and other narcotics out of a local auto shop following an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Houston and the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Jason Curtis Caldwell, 42, was sentenced in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas to 210 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release for conspiring to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. Caldwell pleaded guilty to the charges on Jan. 6.

The investigation began after agents discovered that Caldwell was supplying methamphetamines to another individual who was distributing counterfeit opiate pills that contained meth. Further investigation uncovered a multi-drug distribution operation Caldwell ran out of his car shop, North West Customz. He was known to carry a firearm during his operations and distributed kilogram amounts of methamphetamines, as well as counterfeit opiate pills that contained fentanyl.

Additional law enforcement efforts revealed Caldwell sold counterfeit opiate pills on two different occasions to two others. Those individuals have also been convicted.

Previously released on bond, Caldwell was taken into custody following the sentencing where he will remain pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI Houston, the Houston Police Department and the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office assisted with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jimmy Leo prosecuted the case.

For more news and information on HSI’s efforts to aggressively investigate illicit drug trafficking and smuggling in Southeast Texas follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter, @HSIHouston.

HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of more than 8,700 employees consists of more than 6,000 special agents assigned to 237 cities throughout the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.