Source: United States Department of Justice
Three Memphis men have been sentenced following their convictions at trial on Nov. 12, 2025.
A jury convicted Darius Moore, 39; Mervin Anderson, 40; and Mario Gardner, 49, all of Memphis, of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. Yesterday, the court sentenced Moore to 210 months in prison. Anderson and Gardner were previously sentenced to 150 months and 51 months in prison respectively. Moore was designated a career offender, having been twice convicted of the sale of hydromorphone in 2005 and 2008, and was on supervised release when he committed this crime. In 2019, Moore was convicted of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl within 1000 feet of a playground and after serving his prison term was placed on supervised release. Moore was also sentenced yesterday to an additional 1 year in prison for violating the conditions of his supervised release.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, the defendants were members or associates of the Memphis street gang, Young Mob Military or Young Mob. One of the leaders of Young Mob, co-defendant Brian Lackland, was central to the running of the drug conspiracy that distributed fentanyl within the Western District of Tennessee. Evidence presented during trial included seizures of thousands of fentanyl pills that were sent through the United States Postal Service addressed to Lackland’s residence. The fentanyl pills had been designed to mimic Oxycodone with pressed symbols on the blue pills. Members of the conspiracy would refer to the fentanyl pills as “blues” or “blues clues.”
Fentanyl pills
The surveillance caught members of the conspiracy exchanging large quantities of pills at gas stations, grocery stores, and other locations within feet of unsuspecting citizens of Memphis.
“These three defendants mailed thousands of dangerous and potentially fatal fentanyl laced pills through the United States mail and openly sold them on the streets of Memphis, ultimately endangering end users,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Dangerous opiates like fentanyl are a scourge to our communities, and leave a wake of death, ruined lives, and sorrow. Dedicated work by law enforcement took this drug trafficking organization down. We will continue to stand with our partners and remove dangerous drug dealers from the streets.”
“Because illicit fentanyl is closer to a chemical weapon than a narcotic, President Trump has designated fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction (WMD),” said U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant for the Western District of Tennessee. “Its lethality is significant, and those who traffic fentanyl must be severely punished and incapacitated. This sentence will ensure that this recidivist ‘not-so-young’ mob member will grow old in a federal prison.”
“ATF will not tolerate violent gangs that fuel their criminality by distributing danger drugs like fentanyl on our streets,” said Special Agent in Charge Jamey VanVliet of The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Nashville Field Office. “This sentencing underscores the collective efforts of our local, state, and federal partners and the unwavering commitment to maintaining public safety. Through persistent investigation, collaboration, and enforcement, we will continue to dismantle these criminal networks and protect the safety and security of our citizens.”
While detained pending trial for the drug conspiracy, Anderson was charged and convicted at trial of possessing two sharpened, handmade knives, commonly referred to as “shanks” while at the Shelby County Detention Center. Video from the jail showed Anderson threatening another inmate while swinging and thrusting the knives. When the shanks were taken from Anderson, he stated, “God is on his side, I was about to kill that boy.” Anderson then continued to make threats against the other inmate, stating, “I’m going to kill that boy when I get out.”
Anderson with shank
Other alleged members of the drug conspiracy, including the leader of the Young Mob, are charged in separate indictment with racketeering conspiracy, as well as narcotics and firearm offenses.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Memphis Police Department investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Amanda J. Kotula and Cesar Rivera-Giraud of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section (VCRS) prosecuted the case. Brian P. Leaming of VCRS and Assistant U.S. Attorney P. Neal Oldham for the Western District of Tennessee provided substantial assistance with the investigation and prosecution.
This case is part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative in Memphis conducted in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee and local, state, and federal law enforcement. The joint effort addresses violent crime by employing, where appropriate, federal laws to prosecute gang members and their associates in Memphis.