A Palmdale man has been found guilty of federal drug trafficking and firearms charges, including supplying fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills that caused the overdose death of a 20-year-old U.S. Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton, the Justice Department announced Friday.
A federal jury on Thursday convicted Jordan Nicholas McCormick, 31, of six felony counts: conspiracy to distribute controlled substances resulting in death, distribution of fentanyl resulting in death, distribution of fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute LSD, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to prosecutors, McCormick participated in a drug trafficking conspiracy from at least October 2019 through September 2020. Authorities said he and his co-conspirators obtained and sold LSD, counterfeit Adderall pills laced with methamphetamine and counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl.
Evidence at the 17-day trial showed the group used text messages and Snapchat to coordinate drug sales.
According to prosecutors, McCormick sold 1,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills, commonly known as “M30s,” to a co-conspirator on May 22, 2020. Prosecutors alleged the co-conspirator later advertised the pills on Snapchat before selling about 10 of them to a 20-year-old active-duty Marine identified in court records only as “L.M.”
The Marine died in the early morning hours of May 23, 2020, after ingesting some of the fentanyl-laced pills, according to prosecutors.
Authorities alleged McCormick later supplied another 1,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills to the same co-conspirator. When investigators arrested the co-conspirator three days later, they recovered about 900 fentanyl-laced pills and several firearms, including a 9 mm ghost gun, or unserialized firearm, from the residence, prosecutors said.
In September 2020, investigators executed search warrants at McCormick’s residence, vehicle and on his person. They recovered methamphetamine, LSD, drug trafficking materials and a 9 mm Glock semiautomatic pistol, prosecutors said.
McCormick faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of life. A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.
The case was investigated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Southern California Drug Task Force, a DEA-led task force, the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.