Judge Deals 30-Year Federal Sentence to Texas Felon who Trafficked Fentanyl in State Prison

SAN ANTONIO - A convicted felon already serving a state prison sentence was sentenced in a U.S. District Court to 360 months in federal prison for trafficking fentanyl while in prison, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.

According to court documents, Verndale Ray Seals, 36, was convicted in 2016 for armed robbery, for which he was sentenced to 20 years in a Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison. While imprisoned, Seals helped organize an extensive conspiracy smuggling fentanyl and other narcotics into TDCJ prisons. Seals operated a network sourcing fentanyl and other drugs to produce drug-soaked sheets of paper that were distributed inside the prisons.

Seals was indicted on Nov. 1, 2023, along with several co-conspirators. He pleaded guilty on April 24, 2025, to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl.

On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Jason Pulliam ordered Seals to serve a 30-year federal prison sentence, which will begin at the conclusion of his state sentence.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and TDCJ investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Nowinski prosecuted the case.

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