A 54-year-old Phoenix man was sentenced to prison for providing drugs to federal inmates, the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Arizona announced Monday afternoon.
Between February 2023 and April 2024, Julius Darnell Dixon conspired with federal inmates at different prisons, officials said. He mailed the inmates books from different bookstores in the Phoenix area containing hidden Suboxone strips.
Suboxone is a medication that is typically used to treat opioid addiction by reducing withdrawal symptoms.
Because Dixon mailed the books directly from bookstores, the books appeared to have been purchased directly by the inmates and were able to get around prison security, said the Attorney’s Office.
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Two mailings were intercepted by prison staff, with investigators then locating Dixon’s communication with inmates, according to the Attorney’s Office. The packages were then traced to bookstores in the Phoenix area, where Dixon had given his phone number, mailing address and email address.
In October 2024, Dixon pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, the Attorney’s Office said. The guilty plea also included a violation of his supervised release for an earlier bank robbery conviction.
Dixon was sentenced in January 2025 to 51 months in prison, followed by 60 months of supervised release, the Attorney’s Office confirmed.
The FBI and Bureau of Prisons investigated the case.
Reach the reporter at ahardle@gannett.com or by phone at 480-708-1633. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @AlexandraHardle.
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