California Man Who Placed Fentanyl-Laced Pills Around Tribal Casino Sentenced
Posted on: August 7, 2025, 08:27h.
Last updated on: August 7, 2025, 09:55h.
- Samuel Westphal will spend seven years in prison
- Westphal was arrested at a tribal casino in California with counterfeit oxycodone pills
- Westphal was selling the fentanyl-laced pills at the casino resort
A California man will spend the next seven years in prison after pleading guilty to distributing counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl. Many of his sales were orchestrated inside a tribal casino.
Tuolumne County District Attorney Cassandra Jenecke announced this week that Samuel Westphal, 35, of Modesto, was sentenced to seven years in state prison. The punishment follows Westphal admitting his guilt to Possession of a Controlled Substance for Sale and violating health and safety codes.
Westphal admitted to selling counterfeit oxycodone laced with fentanyl. His prison sentence was increased because California lawmakers last year passed legislation with penalty enhancements for drug distribution related to fentanyl.
Casino Distribution
Westphal was arrested in May at the Chicken Ranch Casino Resort in Jamestown, Calif., near Yosemite National Park. The tribal casino is owned and operated by the Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians of California. The casino has 900 slot machines, 10 table games, and a bingo room.
The casino underwent a $325 million project in 2024 that included a nine-story, 197-room hotel. The hotel is where police located Westphal after casino surveillance captured him placing blue-colored 30-milligram pills labeled as oxycodone, a synthetic opioid prescription painkiller, in communal areas like restrooms before walking away.
In his hotel room, police discovered 902 grams, or about two pounds, of what was later determined to be counterfeit oxycodone pills manufactured with fentanyl. Law enforcement said Westphal was leaving the pills in designated areas of the casino where his customers would pick up the illegal drugs.
The United States Drug Enforcement Administration says just two milligrams of fentanyl can be a lethal dose, the equivalent of 10 to 15 grains of table salt.
As part of his plea, Westphal signed the following statement, acknowledging that if any person he sold the drugs to dies as a result of consuming the illicit pills, he could face subsequent charges.
“You are hereby advised, illegally selling or furnishing controlled substances carries with it the specific risk that you are providing drugs laced with a potentially lethal substance and are hereby advised that if you personally provide or aid someone else with providing these drugs to a person, and a person dies as a result of ingesting a fentanyl-laced product, you can be charged with manslaughter or murder.”
Drug Dealing a Bad Bet
Casinos are among the most heavily surveilled businesses, with the so-called “eye in the sky” constantly monitoring guests’ behaviors and actions throughout the property. Still, drug dealers have sought to use the 24/7 businesses to distribute.
In 2022, the Chicken Ranch Casino was where three men were arrested for dealing methamphetamine and more than 40 grams of fentanyl. Casino security called police after spotting the trio smoking a substance on tin foil.
When officers arrived, the men had made their way into the tribal casino. Their bags were found to contain the drugs, along with $1,000 in cash, and an unlicensed, loaded firearm.
Last Comment ( 1 )
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