A Texas Tech University assistant professor and two other Lubbock residents have been federally charged in connection with an alleged fentanyl distribution conspiracy, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.
Daniel Taylor, 50, of Lubbock, was charged by federal complaint on February 18, 2026, with conspiracy to distribute or possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. Taylor is an assistant professor of marketing and supply chain management in Texas Tech’s Rawls College of Business.
Also charged are Alisha Red-Eagle, 21, and Mackenzie Gilcrease, 28, both of Lubbock.
According to the complaint, Taylor allegedly distributed two variations of fentanyl powder referred to as “Pink Flamingo” and “Ghost.” Investigators say Taylor had been under investigation for several months.
Court documents outline a January 12, 2026 incident in which law enforcement observed Red-Eagle enter and exit Taylor’s vehicle at a Lubbock convenience store before getting into a white SUV. When a Lubbock County Sheriff’s deputy later stopped the SUV for a traffic violation, occupants reported that a man in the back seat was overdosing on suspected fentanyl supplied by Red-Eagle. Narcan was administered, and EMS responded.
During a search of the SUV, deputies reportedly found five fentanyl pills, a clear baggie containing fentanyl, five foil wrappers with fentanyl residue, and a pink baggie containing fentanyl powder.
“Instead of focusing on teaching students supply chain management, the defendant, as alleged, was developing and implementing his own supply chain of lethal fentanyl into the streets of Lubbock,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould. “As alleged, at least in one instance, the fentanyl the defendant peddled through his drug trafficking organization caused an overdose.”
Raybould added that his office “will vigorously prosecute drug dealers and drug traffickers no matter if you are a professor or a street level dealer.”
The complaint further alleges that on the evening of February 17, 2026, agents observed Gilcrease meet Taylor at his residence. After Gilcrease left in a pickup truck, a deputy conducted a traffic stop. A K-9 alerted to the vehicle, and deputies reportedly located three pink plastic baggies of fentanyl inside a pink envelope featuring a flamingo graphic, as well as a baggie containing methamphetamine.
Just after midnight on February 18, agents executed a search warrant at Taylor’s residence. Investigators reported finding quantities of white powder and a crystal-like substance that tested positive for methamphetamine, along with pink envelopes, baggies with pink flamingo stickers, and baggies featuring a ghost graphic.
“This arrest underscores the stark and troubling irony that an individual entrusted with educating others instead chose to distribute one of the deadliest drugs facing our communities today,” said DEA Dallas Field Division Special Agent in Charge Joseph B. Tucker. He added that fentanyl trafficking “can emerge from any corner of our society.”
All three defendants made initial appearances before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Lubbock and remain in federal custody pending further proceedings. If convicted, each faces a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison.
The investigation was conducted by the Texas Anti-Gang Center and the Caprock High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force, which includes the DEA, ATF, Texas Department of Public Safety, Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office, and Lubbock Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Rancourt is prosecuting the case.
