Duane Walker, Jr., 29, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on March 12 in federal court for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, according to United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods. Chief United States District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr., ordered Walker Jr. to serve 235 months in prison with no possibility of parole. After his release, he will be subject to five years of supervised release.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by law enforcement to address the distribution of fentanyl in the Omaha area and the broader impact of opioid trafficking on communities.
An FBI task force began investigating Walker in November 2024 as a suspected dealer of fentanyl pills in Omaha. In January 2025, law enforcement arranged three controlled purchases from him. On February 3, 2025, investigators intercepted a USPS package addressed to Walker’s grandmother that contained nearly 5,000 fentanyl pills. At the time of his arrest on an unrelated warrant, Walker was found carrying a backpack with $49,688 in cash.
A postal inspector determined that co-defendant Alvin Mitchell mailed the package from Seattle. Postal records showed seven previous packages sent from Seattle to the same Omaha address since October 2024. Cell phone evidence obtained through search warrants revealed text messages between Walker and Mitchell discussing these shipments. At sentencing, Walker was held responsible for distributing an amount equivalent to about 29,000 fentanyl pills based on earlier packages.
Mitchell, age 38 and also charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, pleaded guilty and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of fifteen years at his hearing scheduled for March 20. The cash seized from Walker will be forfeited as proceeds from drug trafficking.
The investigation involved the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Omaha Police Department, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
