Daniel Taylor: Former West Texas professor turned drug kingpin gets 40 years jail for pushing 'pink flamingo' fentanyl, causing overdoses

A former Texas Tech University professor has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for manufacturing and distributing fentanyl, including a pink-colored mixture branded as “pink flamingo”, after several women overdosed on drugs supplied by him, the US Department of Justice said on October 23.Former Texas Tech University professor has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for manufacturing and distributing fentanyl. (US Department of Justice)Daniel Taylor, 51, a former assistant professor of supply chain management at Texas Tech’s Rawls College of Business, pleaded guilty on July 1 to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. US District Judge James Wesley Hendrix sentenced him to 480 months in prison, the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas said in an official announcement.Taylor manufactured two fentanyl products, including a potent white powder he called “ghost” and a pink mixture containing fentanyl and bromazolam, a sedative, which he packaged in envelopes featuring flamingo stickers.Also Read: CIA agents' deaths in northern Mexico spark rare treason prosecution against ex-official“Taylor targeted and preyed on vulnerable women, enlisted some of them to help his drug supply chain, branded his poison as if it were a product sold off a shelf and showed a shocking disregard for human life,” US Attorney Ryan Raybould said.‘Pink flamingo’ operation exposed during investigationAccording to court documents cited by the Justice Department, Taylor began distributing fentanyl powder across the Lubbock area while working as a university professor.Law enforcement agencies began investigating him in 2025. In January, investigators observed Taylor meeting one of his distributors in a convenience-store parking lot. Shortly afterwards, a passenger in the same vehicle overdosed and required emergency hospitalization.Subsequent searches uncovered fentanyl, bromazolam, methamphetamine, cocaine base, ketamine and MDMA. Investigators also recovered equipment used to seal and package drugs, pink envelopes, flamingo-branded stickers and a handwritten recipe detailing the “pink flamingo” mixture.The discovery helped investigators document how Taylor manufactured and packaged the drugs for distribution.Also Read: US court backs ICE power to hold immigrants without bond as deportation cases proceedWomen overdosed after consuming fentanylCourt records showed that Taylor supplied fentanyl to multiple women in exchange for sex. Several women overdosed after consuming his products, including at least one who required multiple doses of Narcan while at Taylor’s home.Investigators also recovered messages from Taylor’s phone showing him directing associates to move drug-related conversations to encrypted messaging applications and delete messages. He reportedly referred to the women collectively as his “flamingos”.The case was investigated by a joint operation involving the Texas Anti-Gang Center and the Caprock High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, with personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Texas Department of Public Safety, Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office and Lubbock Police Department.Former professor had previous federal convictionThe Justice Department said Taylor was a previously federally convicted felon. He had also been court-martialed after using fraudulent documents and attempting to fake his own death.DEA Special Agent in Charge Joseph B. Tucker said Taylor had exploited his position of trust and education to distribute a drug that has devastated families across the country.Taylor’s 40-year sentence means he will spend decades in federal prison for the fentanyl trafficking conspiracy.