Californian Pleads in D.C. to Multi-State PCP Trafficking Conspiracy, Firearm Charge Tied to Interstate Shipments

WASHINGTON - Michael Anderson Thomas, 50, of Chino, California, pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia in connection with his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy that reached across the United States and sold PCP, cocaine, and fentanyl in the 2900 block of Knox Place in Southeast Washington D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

Thomas pleaded guilty on July 22, 2026, before Judge Timothy J. Kelly to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of phencyclidine (PCP) and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of that drug trafficking conspiracy. Thomas is a convicted felon, with prior federal felony convictions in the Northern District of Alabama and the District of Oregon for controlled substance offenses.

Thomas faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison for the drug conspiracy charge and a consecutive mandatory minimum of five years for the firearm charge, for a combined mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison. Judge Kelly scheduled sentencing for Nov. 19, 2026.

According to court documents, in the summer of 2024, FBI agents initiated a long-term investigation of a drug trafficking conspiracy centered around the 2900 block of Knox Place, SE. Law enforcement had identified an alleged fentanyl and PCP trafficker in the 2900 block of Knox Place. As the investigation progressed, law enforcement was able to identify sources of supply for both narcotics, including California-based co-conspirators like Thomas.

During the conspiracy, five homicides, seventeen assaults with dangerous weapons, five robberies and eight burglaries occurred within 1,000 feet of the conspiracy's primary stash location on Knox Place SE, court papers state.

According to court documents, from at least July 2024 through his arrest in August 2025, Thomas conspired with others to distribute PCP in and around the District of Columbia from his operating base in Los Angeles.

Thomas's role was to arrange bulk PCP shipments to co-defendant Thomas Wilton Hancock, Jr., for redistribution within the greater Washington, D.C.-Baltimore Metro Area. Beginning in late 2024, Hancock brokered the purchase of 17 gallons of PCP from Thomas, to be delivered to Hancock in March 2025. Payments, transmitted through peer-to-peer platforms, cashier's check, and cash, were routed to "Never To Late Transportation, LLC," a shell company Thomas had incorporated with co-defendant Darrell Lamont Smith in Los Angeles, California. From August 2024 to March 2025, Thomas was paid about $170,000 through the company, reflecting a price of $10,000 per gallon.

In late-March 2025, Darrell Smith drove a pickup truck carrying 17 gallons of PCP from Los Angeles to Baltimore while Thomas flew to the region to meet the purchaser. On March 26, 2025, Kansas state police stopped the pickup truck, arrested Darrell Smith, and seized the PCP from a lockbox in the truck bed.

On Aug. 26, 2025, FBI agents, in coordination with partner law enforcement agencies, conducted a coordinated search and arrest operation at locations in the District of Columbia, Baltimore, and Los Angeles. A search of Thomas's residence in Chino, California, turned up chemical production materials, including chemical precursors for PCP production, in a backyard shed. From Thomas's home, law enforcement also recovered two firearms, ammunition, about $26,000 in cash, a money counter, and a can sealer.

Joining U.S. Attorney Pirro in the announcement was FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI Washington Field Office, with valuable assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Washington Division Office, and the Metropolitan Police Department.

The matter was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Kinskey and John Crabb of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.

25cr241