A former Texas Tech University professor pled guilty Tuesday to running a fentanyl distribution ring that included him exchanging drugs for sex and causing at least eight overdoses.
Daniel Taylor, 51, was charged in February with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas. On Tuesday, he pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute 40 grams of fentanyl.
The Drug Enforcement Agency began investigating Taylor in June 2025, while he was still a marketing and supply chain professor at Texas Tech University.
“Taylor utilized his education and background in supply chain management to build and operate his own supply chain of dangerous narcotics,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould in the release. “I expect—and we will certainly be asking for—a severe prison sentence to hold him accountable for the harm he caused our community.”
Taylor was no longer employed at Texas Tech University as of February, according to a previous statement from the university. He is in federal custody pending a sentencing hearing, and he could face up to 40 years in prison and a $5 million fine, according to the release.
In January, federal agents observed Taylor giving narcotics to a woman outside a convenience store in Lubbock. After conducting a traffic stop on the woman’s vehicle, the DEA found Taylor had distributed two types of fentanyl: a white “ghost” powder and a pink powder that had a mixture of fentanyl and bromazoloam, an unregulated benzodiazepine that can cause overdoses when mixed with opioids.
After obtaining a search warrant for Taylor’s home, agents found that he gave fentanyl to prostitutes in exchange for sex, the release said. When the women warned Taylor that the “ghost” fentanyl was causing overdoses, he began creating the pink powder, which he then branded as “pink flamingo.” According to the release, he referred to the prostitutes as his “flamingo fam” and planned to purchase a house for all of them to live in together.
According to court documents, four other defendants — Marissa Lopez, Alisha-Red Eagle, Madelyn Gunn, and Mackenzie Gilgrease — also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute or possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.
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