Thursday, July 22, 2021- A fellony arrest warrant was issued July 19 for a Vian man charged with the unlawful possession of a controlled drug with the intent to distribute.
Marshall Swearengin, 35, faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $20,000 if he is convicted of the charge.
The case began Aug. 14, 2020, when a mail package for Swearengin from Aizarnazabal, Spain, was intercepted by a Customs and Border Protection officer at the Los Angeles International Mail Center.
The package, which was labeled as containing “flower buds,” was tested at the LAX laboratory for controlled substances and actually contained 268.2 grams of dimethyltryptamine, or DMT.
On Aug. 26, 2020, Sequoyah County Sheriff's officials checked the address belonging to Swearengin with the county's 911 center and found that he still lived there. Deputies then began surveillance of Swearengin.
On Sept. 2, 2020, drug task force officers from Sequoyah County met with Homeland Security and other investigators at the Vian Post Office to discuss delivering the package to Swearengin.
During the meeting, a Post Office employee called Swearengin about the package. Swearengin said he would “be down to the Post Office before 4 o'clock to sign for the package,” so law enforcement officers waited nearby for Swearengin to arrive.
When Swearengin arrived at the Post Office, he signed for and received the package and was detained as he left the Post Office.
Swearengin told officers that he had ordered a mimosa tree root, but said he knew the package also contained DMT. He insisted he didn't know he ordered a half-pound of the substance. He said he bought the drug to help him be a better person.
Laura Brown, KXMX Staff Writer
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