DOWNEY, Calif. – A Los Angeles area attorney is facing up to 20 years in federal prison for allegedly selling opioids on Craigslist.
Jackie Ferrari, 36 of Downey, was arrested on Friday, January 18, 2019, by members of the federal task force on narcotics distribution charges for the sale of oxycodone pills. Ferrari just started a new job at a Beverly Hills law firm Department of Justice officials said. Ferrari allegedly, according to the criminal complaint, which was filed on January 15th said that she is being charged with one count of distributing a controlled substance. The evidence presented in the complaint stated that Ferrari sold a law enforcement source 50 oxycodone pills earlier this month for $1200. Ferrari subsequently sent the informant and other likely customers a text message that she “recently obtained a new supply of oxycodone and [had] other drugs available for sale,” according to the affidavit.
The death of a 22-year-old woman who died in August as a result of a fentanyl overdose sparked the investigation when the victim’s phone indicated that she may have purchased narcotics from Ferrari. Although authorities do not believe that Ferrari sold the narcotics that led to the overdose death they have continued in their investigation. Based on the evidence it is believed that Ferrari is a large-scale trafficker of opiates via Craigslist. In addition, two local police departments received information about Ferrari’s alleged narcotics trafficking in late 2017.
Craigslist provided information showing a long history of advertisements posted for the sale of narcotics using names such as “roxy dolls” (i.e., Roxicodone, a short-acting version of oxycodone), “Chinese **White** Rice” (i.e., “China white” or powdered heroin, which is often mixed with fentanyl) and “Black Rice” (i.e., black tar heroin).
The investigation into Ferrari is being conducted by the HIDTA Task Force and was led by agents and officers with the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The task force also includes representatives of the Los Angeles Police Department; the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General; the California Department of Justice; and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Office of Investigations. The Costa Mesa Police Department and the Cypress Police Department provided substantial assistance in the investigation.
