Jackson County Drug Dealer Sentenced to Federal Prison

Medford, Oregon- Anthony Ross Minneci, 36, was sentenced to 188 months in federal prison yesterday after law enforcement discovered distribution quantities of drugs, including fentanyl, and a firearm in his abandoned vehicle.

Court documents revealed Minneci’s history of drug trafficking and illegal firearm possession. Following his release from prison in January 2019, he resumed drug sales across Southern Oregon, leading to multiple charges in Jackson and Josephine County Circuit Courts over the following three years.

On January 1, 2022, a deputy with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office attempted to stop Minneci’s vehicle at an intersection. Minneci fled, leaving the vehicle abandoned in a rural area. A subsequent search warrant executed on January 5, 2022, uncovered fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, a firearm, and drug paraphernalia in the vehicle.

Minneci’s evasion ended on March 15, 2022, when he was arrested in Siskiyou County, California, found in possession of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and two firearms. A federal grand jury indicted Minneci on three counts on May 5, 2022, including possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, illegal possession of ammunition as a convicted felon, and possessing firearms in connection with a drug trafficking crime.

Minneci pleaded guilty to possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute on February 26, 2024. The investigation and prosecution involved collaboration between various law enforcement agencies, including the Medford Area Drug and Gang Enforcement Team (MADGE), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Rogue Area Drug Enforcement Team (RADE), Oregon State Police, the Jackson County Sheriff and District Attorney’s Offices, Medford Police Department, and the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office.

The case was prosecuted by Marco A. Boccato, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. MADGE, a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force, played a vital role in identifying and dismantling drug trafficking organizations, supported by the Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) and composed of members from various law enforcement agencies.