SPOKANE, WA – A Spokane man with a lengthy criminal history has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for operating a commercial pill press lab that produced counterfeit fentanyl tablets for distribution.
On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Thomas O. Rice sentenced 44-year-old Timothy Gary Maddox to 20 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Prosecutors said Maddox, along with co-defendant Nicholas Adams, ordered a commercial pill press from China and set up an illicit operation in the basement of Adams’ Hillyard residence.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the two mixed fentanyl powder with cutting agents to manufacture bulk quantities of pills for sale. A search of multiple locations in November 2023 uncovered large amounts of fentanyl powder, pill press parts, firearms, and body armor. Federal officials said the seized fentanyl was enough to produce more than two million pills containing a lethal dose — enough to kill the population of Spokane County nearly four times over.
In addition to fentanyl, authorities found methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, MDMA, and marijuana. Investigators also recovered multiple loaded firearms, including handguns, modified shotguns, AK-type rifles, and a Glock fitted with an illegal switch converting it to a fully automatic weapon.
Maddox’s sentencing comes after decades of criminal convictions, including burglary, drug trafficking, assault, and a previous federal drug case in 2015. While engaged in the pill press operation, he also carried out two separate drive-by shootings in Spokane County, court records show.
Federal, state, and local officials emphasized the danger of Maddox’s activities and the importance of removing him from the community.
“Stopping the production and flow of fentanyl into our communities is one of the most challenging crises we face as law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Pete Serrano. “The volume of fentanyl that this investigation took off the street is truly staggering.”
David Reames, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Seattle Field Division, called Maddox “a career criminal who endangered the safety and health of our community with a truly lethal mix of homemade counterfeit fentanyl pills and automatic weapons.”
Homeland Security Investigations and the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office also credited strong partnerships between local and federal agencies for dismantling one of Eastern Washington’s largest pill manufacturing cases.
Maddox’s co-defendant Nicholas Adams is scheduled to go to trial in December 2025.
The case was investigated by the DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, the RAVEN Task Force, and the Spokane Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Caitlin Baunsgard.
