The FBI works shoulder to shoulder with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies across the country through FBI-lead task forces in all 56 field offices.

In some instances, task forces are created to address specific criminal or national security threats. One such task force is the FBI Springfield Field Office Southern Illinois Transnational Organized Crime West (TOC-W) based in Carlyle, Illinois.

The TOC-W Task Force was created to identify, target and prosecute transnational criminal organizations engaged in criminal activity involving a myriad of federal violations, including but not limited to, drug trafficking, money laundering, homicide, extortion, kidnapping, and public corruption. The Southern Illinois TOC-W Task Force enhances the effectiveness of federal, state and local law enforcement resources through a well-coordinated initiative seeking the most effective investigative and prosecutorial avenues to convict and incarcerate dangerous offenders.

The primary focus of the TOC-W Task Force is on large-scale drug conspiracies involving drug trafficking organizations operating throughout Southern Illinois and Mexico. As a result of investigative efforts, eight subjects were arrested in April on charges of possession and distribution of methamphetamine and fentanyl. The arrested subjects are:

• Jackie Scanlan of Centralia — Charged with two counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.

• Mark Hills of Salem — Charged with two counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

• Matthew Campbell of Keyesport — Charged with two counts of distribution of methamphetamine.

• Denzel McChristian of St. Louis, MO (previously of Centralia) — Charged with one count of distribution of methamphetamine.

• Karie Holstlaw of Centralia — Charged with one count of distribution of methamphetamine.

• Sherry Dent of Germantown — Charged with five counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.

• Dennis Conway of Vandalia — Charged with two counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.

• Jeffrey Steinkamp of Vandalia — Charged with two counts of distribution of methamphetamine.

“Dangerous drugs take far too many lives in our communities,” said FBI Springfield Field Office Assistant Special Agent in Charge Shannon Fontenot. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to disrupt and dismantle criminal drug operations, ensuring citizens are no longer held captive by the violence and destruction that accompanies the distribution of illegal narcotics.”

The investigation and arrests were conducted with the support of FBI St. Louis; the police departments of Mt. Vernon, Carlyle, Centralia and Germantown; the sheriff’s offices of Fayette, Clinton, Bond, Jefferson and Marion counties; and the United States Attorney’s Office – Southern District of Illinois.

If you witness a crime or observe something suspicious, contact the FBI by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at tips.fbi.gov, or contact FBI Springfield at 217-522-9675.

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